


Wild Earth

by DistantStar



Category: clexa - Fandom
Genre: 1rst Chapter happens in the Ujung Kulon, 3rd Chapater happens in Hellshire Hills, 4th Chapter happens Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park, A lizard has been added, Adult Language, Adventurer Lexa, Also a frog, Alternate Universe, Anya and Lexa are sisters, Both animals are endangered species, Chapter 10 loves its food, Clarke almost falls in the river, Clarke is being made to do it for the sake of her people, Coffee is a thing now, Coffee is not involved, F/F, Hurricane Nia, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Infinity 503, Lexa lives on a boat, Looking for a rare rhino, Nerd Lexa, NewsReporter Clarke, No smut in this one ..yet, Oh Anya!, Ouch, Ranya or Not, Stalker Behaviors, Tags will be added as we go, There Be Whales!, There is a monkey too, Though Lexa probably wishes she had some, but where did plain chicken soup go?, lost at sea, minimal suggestive adult content in chapter 17, oh and a big splash this time, or its lack of it, the Wildlife fic, there is now a crocodile, trig warning - mentions of surviving being accidentally shot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-20
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2018-11-16 16:52:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 47,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11256984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DistantStar/pseuds/DistantStar
Summary: Lexa travels the world filming rare animals for her popular Youtube channel 'Wild Earth' in hopes that bringing attention to their plight might save them.   In the depths of the Ujung Kulon one day she is expecting to find a Rhino.  What she isn't expecting is for a blonde reporter named Clarke Griffin to suddenly pop up with her questions and her t.v. crew, nearly ruining everything.





	1. The  Javan Rhino

**Author's Note:**

> come visit me on Tumblr at [adistantstarblog](https://adistantstarblog.tumblr.com)

The humidity in this jungle was at eighty percent today. This was the normal relative for the Ujung Kulon. There was also heavy cloud cover that locked in that humidity. Lexa understood this was also the relative normal. 

The vegetation here itself was evergreen rainforest with many species of broad-leafed trees. They were packed densely, and reached in a great and covering canopy flung far overhead that all but blocked out, and in some places of this jungle, teased at the cloudy sky. 

Monkeys and other prime-mates climbing all over them made it look like the trees crawled with termites or other bugs. They would stop and look at her when, as quiet as she could possibly be, she stalked over thick leaf litter that covered the ground. They noticed her anyway. Ferns brushed the canvas pants covering her legs. 

And despite all the cloud cover, and the canopy overhead – the Ujung Kulon was a very, very warm place to be. Little pieces of her hair that came loose from her braid stuck to the sweat rolling down her face. Her clothes stuck to her body and any part of her skin not covered with sticking clothes was covered in insect bites. And she was eating and drinking nothing but trail mix and water. 

But – she lived for this stuff. She lived for the insect bites and the sticky hair because someone had to show the beauty of the world. If others could see how beautiful it was. Maybe she could help save it. 

She had been on this trail on foot for two days straight, her pack on her back, her camera in one hand and her water in the other hand almost always. She turned a corner of the jungle. Ahead a giant moss covered tree lay across the 'trail' she had been told to follow that was only a few inches wide in places at best. But a fallen tree in this jungle was not always something that could easily be stepped over. It would have to be climbed onto and jumped down from. Stopping where she was the minute she saw this tree she put her water down and turned her camera on, “Lexa Woods,” she announced as she started shooting the fallen tree, “day two in the Ujung Kulon. Did you know this jungle holds over 700 kinds of plant life alone? Many dozen of those are rare types. But what we are looking at here,” she said, starting to pace back and forth while filming the fallen tree to get a good look at it from different angles through the lens of her camera, “is a fallen Tokbray tree. You will notice,” she started walking up toward it now, still watching through the camera lens as she reached it at last, “these features here all these vines and flanges..” she ran her hand along them in demonstration of what she was referring to, “they look like wax dripping down a candle don't they?” she asked “and oh...” she rubbed her finger through the deep green moss growing on this tree, “nice, nice deep moss here. Beautiful. Just beautiful. Anyway,” she said, “all these vines when the tree is ...well.. when the tree is alive and still standing, they grow flowers and fruit at the ends, not just twigs and these fruits are part of the diet for--” 

She jumped a mile, dropping her camera into the litterfall and light undergrowth when a small and furry gray paw closed over the lenses of her camera. 

Doubling back and catching her breath she found herself staring at a little gray monkey, whom was staring back at her in interest as he sat on the top of the fallen tree, “oh wow..” the words barely left her mouth as a breath before she was scrambling to retrieve her camera and aimed it right at him, “look at this guy. He thought he would surprise us this morning. Anyway, this is a Presbytis comata, less formally known as a Javan surili or an uh ..Javan Leaf Monkey. He has two subspecies as well, depending on which region he's in. The Presbytis comata comata in western Java and the Presbytis comata fredericae of central.” 

The little monkey grew interested in her voice and rose up on his hind legs to stare at her in a little more threatening manner. Lexa chuckled, “well, this one doesn't seem to know fear. Anyway, these little monkeys are of the Old World monkey endemic. But sadly these little guys are also endangered. There are less than 1000 of them left due to the fact that there is only about 4% of his natural habitat left..” she pulled in a deep breath and let it out again, “He's endangered mostly by loss of habitat,” she said. Lexa swallowed and looked a the little monkey, “as are,” she swallowed again because it was difficult to say it. But she knew it had to be said, “most of the animals in this jungle.” 

The little monkey screeched at her in anger and ran away then fast as it could, she lowered her camera and watched it vanish into the depths of the broad-leafed jungle, “what a special unexpected treat we had there to get to capture one of those guys on film. Okay,” she said though. She turned and started walking again, but leaving the camera recording as she did to film the jungle ahead as she went. 

For the countless time in the past two days she started repeating her introduction to be used at random during all the cut and pasting that would happen during her video once she got it home, “so here I am, Lexa Woods for Wild Earth. And currently we,” she automatically used the plural instead of the singular that would refer only to herself as to include her would-be viewers at home, “are here in the Ujung Kulon National Park, Indonesia. Its a sub-tropical climate. Very wet. Very high humidity here almost year round. And because, because of its equatorial, it also happens to be very warm here also year round. Lots of swamp, lots of trees, lots of..” she turned a bend that was barely there and found herself looking onto a sluggish green branch of the river, “really, really green river.” This would be the perfect shot. 

Lexa turned and placed her camera in the trees behind her. Made sure it was on and turned around to face it so the river was at her back, “what we are looking for today,” she flashed a smile and a glance at the river behind her, “is the Javan Rhino. Why this Rhino, you ask? Because sadly in all the world there are only between fifty to sixty of these amazing animals left and all of them live right here,” she motioned twice toward the ground with her hands, “in the Ujung Kulon National Park. We're going to take a raft today. I have one with me,” she shifted her backpack off her shoulder and lowered it to the ground. Then Lexa smiled, “be right back.” 

She moved forward and shut off the camera. 

Going back to her pack she knelt and unzipped it and tugged the small, yet heavy duty inflatable boat free. It took half the space inside the pack. The rest of the space was filled up with her sleeping bag, the waterproof liner she used with it, her emergency kit, flashlight and extra batteries, water, and air pump. Unrolling the raft on the prickly-ish jungle floor made her a little nervous that it may get a tear but she didn't have much of a choice. All the same, she was careful as she could about it but heard a shuffling noise as she reached behind her for her air pump. 

Her hand touched something slimy yet hard and ..quite large. There was a loud grunt. Lexa glanced behind her and jumped to her feet turning to stare at the Rhino ambling its way down the bank right behind her. He didn't seem to care she was there. And she heard these were shy animals. This one seemed more annoyed at her than anything for being in his jungle and slid out into the water. 

Her heart in her throat she suddenly was able to unlock, to move, to get her camera from the tree. With her hands shaking she turned around with it, turned it on and pointed it toward the river, “you won't believe what happened!” she started speaking with excitement. Her legs were jelly from it, and so were her shaking fingers. She was sure she was going to drop the camera right into the green water of the swamp and she was sure, from the loud pounding sound in her ears, that her heart might have taken up residence there. But then the Rhino floating lazily in place in the river with just his eyes, horn, and the top of his face and back peeking out at her snorted at her, and somehow that pulled her back and reminded her that she not only needed to breathe to soothe the aching burn in her lungs suddenly but also that she needed to speak, “you ..you guys won't believe it! I was inflating my raft and this ..this beautiful guy walked right out of the jungle and almost on top of me! Look at him,” she said in awe, “isn't he? Isn't he beautiful?” 

The Rhino snorted again and blew bubbles in the green water as though to say she had lost her mind. And maybe she had. But she had done it. She was actually filming a Javan Rhino. She shuffled further down the bank almost to the edge of it and zoomed in on his face, “we're going to have to ask what his name is. I think the locals, have named them. But these guys, I mean... everyone at home..” she couldn't quite string sentences together properly, “these Rhinos are actually the smallest Rhino. They are actually quite gentle too. This guy is the R.s. Sondaicus. Also known as the Sunda Rhinoceros or more commonly the Indonesian Javan Rhinoceros. The Javan Rhino, this guy right here,” she was repeating herself too much. Her nerves from excitement did that. At least though she was managing to get her sentences somewhat in an order that made sense, “these guys used to be the most widespread of the Asian Rhinoceroses. I mean he lived throughout South-Eastern Asia--” 

The rhino in the river started to swim a little, just a few feet from the bank and her heart sank a minute because she thought he was leaving. Which made her stop speaking and lower her camera to stare at him in hopes of seeing him at least until he was gone. But then he stopped moving and started blowing bubbles out of his nose contentedly in the water again. So she sighed in relief, lifted her camera to film him again, and went on, “I mean ..they used to range everywhere from the Islands of Java and Sumatra all through Southeast Asia into India and even China. These guys though, sadly, are an extremely rare member of the Rhinocerotidae family. Because as I have said earlier. In all the world,” her voice broke a little bit now and she blinked a couple times staring at the magnificent animal, “there are only about 50-60 of these animals left. And all of those live right here in this little tiny tiny triangle of land that is Ujung Kulon National Park, at the Western Tip of Indonesia. These guys were um, victims of poaching for their horns and again, if you consider all the area I just said they used to live in, from habitat loss.” she finished with a soft exhale. The Rhino in the water looked so peaceful. He looked as though he was finally accepting her-- 

But suddenly his eyes widened. His nostrils flared and he sank into the river and swam off faster as he could. Leaving her standing, wondering if he had been real because he was gone so fast. Leaving her blinking in shock-- 

Then she heard why he had left so fast. Clinging to her camera she whirled on the crashing noises in the jungle behind her. They grew louder and louder and she had to do her best not to back up into the river because whatever it was coming right for her.. 

Then suddenly a girl burst through the jungle trees, huffing and puffing, her blonde hair tangled and tumbling loose from a mock-up safari hat. Lexa was still trying to understand what was happening when the girl slipped and slid in the mud and caught herself by grabbing the trunk of a tree before turning to her, looking up with bright blue eyes. Two men with cameras and lights clamored out of the jungle behind her also nearly slipping down the bank but catching themselves at the last minute. Then the blonde was shouting with excitement into a ..microphone, “I'm Clarke Griffin, Arkadia Station News.. tell me, Lexa Woods. Why are you here in this jungle?..” the microphone was thrust into her face. 

“Are you kidding?” Lexa demanded. She got herself together. She felt her temper flash as she looked toward the now vacant spot where her Rhino had been floating in the river. This ..girl... had scared it away, “a reporter all the way out here?” this was new. It was new and it was ruining everything. 

But Clarke pressed on, “we wanted to know why you are out here looking for a, an uh...” 

“Rhino.” Lexa snapped. She motioned to the river behind her, “which you have scared off with your crashing.” 

“Did you find it?” Clarke asked with exuberance, “did you find the--” 

“Who are you again?” Lexa demanded, glaring at the girl. She clutched her camera tight in her hand. She was not about to let anyone have her content. She cursed herself for having given up what she was doing out here. Even if the girl was stunning and had the most beautiful blue eyes full of excitement she had ever seen. Lexa snarled to herself. She could not have just thought that-- 

“Clarke Griffin...” for the first time, the girl started to falter in confidence as though she was realizing she might not be welcome. The excitement went out of Clarke's eyes as though someone had hit a switch. Good, Lexa thought, serves her right for making her lose her Rhino. The reporter motioned to the camera team to stop recording. Clarke went on, “we wanted ..we were hoping we could interview you to add publicity to your--” 

“You just scared my rhino away,” Lexa informed her again. She stared hard at her. She looked at the green river behind her again and stared at the girl some more. It was only then that this Clarke seemed to realize what she had done. Clarke looked at the river, she looked at Lexa, “I just want to help--” 

“Help?” Lexa asked, “help what? Help your news station get a big story? 'YouTube adventurer makes her way to Ujung Kulon?' Do you think expeditions like this are cheap?” she motioned around them, “I saved forever for this, and you just come in here with your cameras and microphone and crash it?” 

But Clarke insisted, “let me give you coverage.” 

“You only want my story,” Lexa pointed out to her, “leave me alone.” 

She gathered her raft, her camera, and her pack and shouldered it all quick as she could. Lexa walked off, leaving Clarke where she was, on the bank of that green river. She turned the camera over in her hands as she did though. 

At least she had it. At least she saw her Rhino. 

She even had him on film. Right here, in her own camera. She turned it over in her hands she started walking back toward her camp that was two days away and then to the village somewhere miles beyond it. 

Even with Clarke Griffin interfering and trying to get her work she had managed to film her Rhino. She put the thoughts of the blue-eyed girl behind her best she could and couldn't help but smile. 

Because it had still been a very good expedition. It had still been a very good day.


	2. Caught on Camera

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke is a reporter for Arkadia News. She covered the downfall of a rival station, Mt. Weather, only to have her Boss give her story to another reporter. Why? Because he wants her back in the field again for a bigger story all caught by the camera of YouTube Adventurer, Lexa Woods.

_At least she had it._

_At least she saw her Rhino._

_She even had him on film. Right here, in her own camera. She turned it over in her hands she started walking back toward her camp that was two days away and then to the village somewhere miles beyond it._

_Even with Clarke Griffin interfering and trying to get her work she had managed to film her Rhino. She put the thoughts of the blue-eyed girl behind her best she could and couldn’t help but smile._

_Because it had still been a very good expedition. It had still been a very good day._

-=-

 

 _(TWO WEEKS EARLIER)_  
  
In her chair at the news desk Clarke was trying to do a couple things at once: the first being that she was trying to ignore Murphy’s smirk.  He knew she had wanted to give the report on the closure of the Mount Weather facility. After everything she had done, getting her foot in the door there and even following around some of their more elusive ‘employees.’  She was even the one that found out about their missiles–  
  
But at the last minute, Jaha had given her story to Murphy.  And she was assigned to talking about the storms in the area having a higher acidic content than usual..  
  
But the second thing she was trying to do was keep the fake smile plastered on her face as she stared at the camera.  Behind it and to the right Octavia was counting down on her fingers, three, two, one.. she made a slashing motion over her throat.

Octavia then announced, “annnd we are off the air!”

Murphy smirked and slid off his chair, “better luck next time, Clarke.” he said, and turned his back on her and strolled away from her.  Good riddance.  She never trusted him.  Not after he had just stood there and watched Finn Collins running that family down with a car to get a story when he should have been calling the cops.  No, Murphy had just left his camera rolling.  
  
He should have been fired for it.  
  
But Jaha gave him a chance instead.  Jaha, said that Murphy apparently could stomach more than others could.  Jaha had said that Murphy was a lot like he used to be–  
  
“Clarke!” Kane’s voice called from the back of the bustle of people moving now starting to leave the busy studio, “Jaha wants to see you.”  
  
Clarke felt her teeth grind together.  Of course, he did.  She relaxed her jaw and pulled a deep breath into her lungs, “yeah,” she answered.  She slid down from her chair and grabbed her bag that was waiting at her feet, “I have lunch with Mom.  Can you tell him I will be by–”  
  
Kane had come close to where she was.  He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked at her apologetically, “he says ..he says right now.”  
  
Clarke stared at Kane for a second.  He shrugged at her as if to say he really didn’t have a choice in this either and that he was hoping she would just go without arguing, “fine.” she said, at last, adjusting the strap of her bag, “I’ll get it over with, then.”    
  
“Thanks, Clarke.” Kane said to her.  
  
She nodded and walked past him but at the last second stopped and turned, “but you get to go tell my mom I won’t be able to make it.  My phone doesn’t work the greatest.”  
  
“Still haven’t been able to get a new one, huh?” Kane asked her.  
  
She shook her head and admitted, “not yet.”

 “I’ll tell your mom,” Kane said to her.      
  
“Thanks,” she answered, then she turned walked away through the now empty studio area and down the halls to the office area at the back of the building.  The door to Jaha’s office was opened but she knocked on the frame anyway, “Mr. Jaha?” she asked.      
  
He was at his desk writing something in a leather-bound journal.  His writing slowed and he looked up as she entered, “there you are, Clarke.”  
  
She stepped through the door of his office, “listen, I have lunch with my Mom.  But I heard you wanted to talk to me.”  
  
“Lunch with Abby?” he asked back.  She only nodded.  She didn’t like him calling her mother by her first name.  Not after what happened with her dad.  But she didn’t say anything else.  Jaha just offered her a larger than needed to be smile and sat back in his chair and put his hands behind his head, “well, I think you are going to miss that,” he began.  He motioned to the chair across the desk from his, “please, come in and sit down.”  
  
She crossed the room mechanically pulled the chair out and sat in the offered seat.  Clarke set her back on the floor next to her, “so,” she asked, just wanting to get this over with, “why am I here?”  
  
“Straight to the point?” he asked her.  He snorted a little under his breath as though this was amusing to him, “I wanted to say you did good work on that Mount Weather story.  But I wanted you away from all that.”  
  
Clarke just nodded.  She wanted to ask why did he give her story to Murphy then? And why was she here then, in front of him?  But she wanted to keep -needed- to keep her job.  So she just nodded and tried to phrase it professionally, “then I don’t know why…”  
  
“Why I gave it to Murphy?” he finished for her.  
  
She only nodded and kept her face grim and stared at him, “yeah that.”  
  
Finally, he sat back in his chair, “because I have something better for you, Clarke.”    

“Something better?” she asked, trying not to be too hopeful.  Jaha was tricky that way. He might be assigning her to watch the water table lines in the failing section of the city sewers for the next month for all she knew.  
  
He looked at her directly, “something you actually helped uncover and did not even know it.”  
  
“Something I helped uncover?" that was unexpected.  
  
He nodded, “Oh yes.”  
  
“And,” she asked carefully now because she felt herself getting just a little hopeful, “what exactly is this thing?”  
  
In response, he just grinned at her, “we’ll get to that,” he said, “but first.” Jaha moved and opened a drawer in his desk.  He pulled a laptop out of it, set it on the desk in front of him and turned it on.  Then he looked at her, “why don’t you come on around this side of the desk for a moment, Clarke. I have something to show you.”  
  
She got up.  She did as asked.  When she got there she was staring at the laptop’s loading screen.  He went on though watching the screen and not her, “do you remember when I had you tail that Hunter, Bellamy Blake?” he asked her.  
  
“Yeah, I do,” she answered grimly, “if it wasn’t for the fact I had that vest on, he would have accidentally shot me.”  
  
“But you learned a lot, yeah?” Jaha grinned at her unrepentantly, “and it got you on the desk.” he motioned to the door she had come through.  He didn’t give her a chance to answer instead he looked at the screen.  The desktop image was that of their news station building, Arkadia News Worldwide.  He cleared his throat and clicked open a browser, “anyway environmental stuff is big these days.  People are saying there’s no global warming, people are saying there is.  People are even starting to believe again that the Earth is flat–”  
  
“I don’t understand where this is going.” Clarke suggested.  
  
“Well,” he shrugged, “alot of people out there are into stuff about Earth, and environment and green energy and getting better.  And a lot of people are actually into YouTube.  And sometimes that’s where they go for this kind of news..” he typed in the YouTube web address.  And without a word, he then typed the name: 'Lexa Woods’, into the search followed by 'Wild Earth’  

As a listing of her episodes came up he leaned back in his chair, “which brings me to her.”  

Clarke had seen some of her videos.  They always made her smile or laugh or realize things about the world that she hadn’t known about before and wondered how Lexa – who could not be much older than her – did all this.  It was actually a great secret.  It was in her comments a lot.  Still, she asked about the girl as though she was not aware of Lexa’s growing fame in the animal world, or the internet world for that matter, “Lexa Woods?”  
  
“Right,” Jaha said, scrolling down the endless list of videos.  He clicked one.  It was the one about the Hawkbill Sea Turtle.  Which she hadn’t even known existed by name. Until Lexa’s video, she had thought ’ a sea turtle is a sea turtle’  Lexa’s video had taught her otherwise though, and also that this particular turtle was listed 'Critically Endangered.’  
  
“ _Hello my you-tube audience,”_ the image of Lexa on the screen started talking.  The wind blew at her hair, even when she had it tied back it caught the sunlight.  Lexa was in a diving suit and had a silly grin on her face, _“today’s episode is about the Hawkbill Sea Turtle.  And we are going out to find him.  As you can see,”_ Lexa motioned down at what she was wearing, _“we have to go diving to find him.”_ she grinned at the camera and looked over her shoulder at the ocean behind her.  Then she looked forward and smirked, _“but you’ve probably figured that out already.  Since I am wearing this and all and standing in front of the ocean…”_  
  
“Lexa’s hot, Clarke.” Jaha stated beside her.  
  
Clarke was mesmerized by this girl pulled on her face mask and snorkel and ran out into the ocean.  By mistake, her eyes glued to the screen while the waves swallowed Lexa up, she answered him, “hell yeah, she is.”    
  
“That’s not what I meant,” he smirked at her.  His tone caught her attention and jerked her from her staring spree and made her look at him again, “wait ..what?” she blushed bright red.  
  
“I mean, she is hot.  As in, a lot of people want to know about her.  They want to know what she is doing and where she is.  I mean,” he motioned to the screen, “look at her follower count. Look at her comments..” he scrolled down and down and down but the comments never seemed to end.  A lot of them were asking, where was she going and what was she filming next time and if it was possible they could meet her and get her autograph.  Alot of them said how much they loved her show.  A few even asked Lexa to marry them. Clarke was glad suddenly she was always too nervous to leave the beautiful adventurer a comment.  
  
That made her realise something.  It brought her back to when she had come into this room, “what does this have to do with Bellamy Blake? And also what does it have to do with something I helped uncover?  Does this have to do with him somehow?” she hoped not. Blake was an asshole, unlike his sister ..whom was just …intense and happened to work at the station. Which was how Bellamy got on the air…  
  
“No, this actually doesn’t relate to Blake, at least not directly.  It’s just you were good in the field, I mean, the literal field…”  
  
“Until I got shot.” she reminded him again.  
  
“Right, that, well,” Jaha adjusted his chair, “this actually has to do with your other story you were working; Cage Wallace and Mt Weather.”  
  
Clarke looked at him cautiously, “Mt Weather?”  
  
“Yes,” Jaha sat back again, “some years back the Wallace’s of Mt Weather held a competition.  Young people from across the globe were to send in videos of things they liked to do.  It didn’t matter what it was, everyone from rock collectors to cave explorers to martial arts buffs to amateur filmmakers sent videos in. The grand prize was you would get a weekly t.v. show broadcast by their station for ..whatever it was you were doing.  Well Miss. Woods here,” he tapped the top of the laptop screen, “sent an entry in.”  He put his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair, “she did not win the grand prize.  In fact, Bellamy Blake and his hunting show did win.”  
  
“Which is where I came in?” Clarke asked she hadn’t heard of the rest of it until that point.  But then, of course, no one around here talked about the main competition much.  As it turned out she was aware that, along with the many other both legal projects and -as recently discovered- illegal, Mt Weather also had a t.v. station as well.  As did Polis, a city a good distance from here.  But Polis was too far away to cause any true competition.  She had secretly applied to work at that Station but had heard nothing about it back yet. “You’re jumping ahead a little bit Clarke, just slow down ok?” he said to her.  
  
She didn’t answer. Because she really just wanted to get this over with and out of here.  After all, if she left now, she might be able to stop Kane from making a complete fool of himself in front of her mother.  
  
“But Lexa Woods did place.  In fact, Bellamy Blake was first place.  Woods placed second.  As a prize, they gave her a very high-quality camera capable of recording high definition audio and video and also take regular stills.  It could convert these things and upload them to storage online with the touch of a button.  Needless to say,” Jaha gave a half smile and dropped his hands to the desk again, “Lexa didn’t walk away empty-handed.  And she’s been using this camera,” he motioned to YouTube, “to make these videos.”  
  
“Annnd sooo?” Clarke began, trying to figure out where he was going with all this.  Then she had a thought though, a question really, that made her wrinkle her forehead and ask, “how do you know she’s using it?” she asked, “I mean, she can be using any camera.”  
  
“Because the camera is a special edition made by Mt Weather.  It’s expensive.” Jaha offered back. Clarke merely raised an eyebrow at him and shifted her head to the other side to study him.  This did not answer her question.  He just grunted at her in amusement though and added, “also I’ve uncovered with the closure of the Mountain something else about Lexa Wood’s prize camera.”  
  
“And this is?” Clarke prompted.  Because she knew how Jaha liked to drag things out for Drama. In fact, she was certain as she sat here right now, that he could have said everything he’s already said and anything else he was about to say within a handful of sentences if he wanted to and gotten her out of his door and on her way and done with it – if he had wanted to.  But that wasn’t how Jaha worked.  He liked dividing all his thoughts up into pieces so they looked so so much bigger and important than they sometimes actually were and she suspected this thought was going to be the same.  
  
“They put a GPS chip in it.”  Jaha informed, “to track her, where ever she went.  They were that interested in what she did–”  
  
“Does she know?” Clarke demanded instantly, for some reason she felt her temper bristle.  She glanced at the laptop.  Lexa Woods seemed like a very honest person, who was very passionate about what she did.  And even though Clarke did not know her.  She already couldn’t stand the idea of someone messing around with her–  
  
“She does not.” Jaha stated, “this chip was placed without her knowledge into this camera that she had been given because during the contest they saw an advantage, and put two and two together.  They could use Lexa to find locations -and animals- for Bellamy Blake to take his hunting show to. They wouldn't have to search for themselves. Money can buy anything even rare animals if you approach the right person and pay high enough.  But that fell apart,” he added in at last, “when Bellamy Blake’s license was revoked and his show canceled because he accidentally shot a human.” he motioned to Clarke and smiled.  
  
Clarke felt relief flood her, and she felt a breath she hadn’t know she was holding escape her. Inadvertently she had saved Lexa’s beautiful animals. And she started to smile, “and you want me to expose this?” this was amazing.  She never thought she would have a chance to–  
  
“On the contrary,” Jaha stated, his matter-of-fact voice breaking into her elation, “The chip was forgotten about as the plot fell apart with Blake’s arrest and the subsequent downfall of Mt. Weather.  We stumbled upon this information as fallout from the liquidation of assets we purchased in an auction.  I have the GPS information, Clarke.” he then paused.  "We’re going to use it.  We’re going to use her–”  
  
When he said he had the GPS information, she only looked up in surprise.  When he had said, 'we’re going to use her’ Clarke felt her stomach turn in a sick twist–  
  
“We’re going to use it to send you after Lexa, where-ever she goes.  We’re going to use her and all this animal rights crap she does, to give us a boost into high ratings.  If you can get any content from her we might be able to start our own show with it.  People want environmentalist stuff these days.  You should have seen 'Save the Whales’ back in the eighties. Lexa seems to be the current version of that,” he said, “and to top this market we need a hold on it right now.  And Lexa,” he said looking at the image of her frozen now in pause on the screen running into the ocean, “she might be just what we need to do that.”    
  
“No,” Clarke said, at last, the sickness in her stomach finally making her open her mouth, “Mr. Jaha, this is wrong.  Lexa Woods loves and works hard for what she does—”  
  
He stood up as though challenged, “you can’t say no, Clarke.”  He looked down at her through eyes that were almost -almost- suddenly condescending, “do I need to remind you this is your job?”  
  
“I know that.”  
  
“Good,” he answered, his smile returning, “you may go.” he motioned toward the door, “I will get you the information by morning.  Oh, and it seems your first trip is in Indonesia.  Be ready for the jungle.”  
  
“She’s… she’s there already?” Clarke was surprised he already knew this.  
  
“Oh no, that part is on her blog.  She never says exactly where though.  But the tracker will get you that.”  Jaha grinned.  His face fell suddenly though, “you cannot tell Lexa Woods about the tracker.  Because if word got out,” he shrugged, “well, a lot of people around here could suddenly be out of work–”  
  
“Yeah, I understand,” she said bitterly.  She did.  If nothing else, Jaha was an opportunist.  He was an opportunist and he was using not only this GPS tracker but also Lexa’s own blog as a basis to stalk her.  Clarke took a deep breath in and focused on the feel of the air filling her lungs so as not to lose her temper.  She understood quite well that the fact that Jaha illegally _stalking_ someone with a hidden GPS could potentially _sink_ the t.v. station.      
  
Her own job was one thing.  She could move in with her mom or even Octavia if she had to. But causing everyone here to loose theirs, was another.    

She was stuck.  
  
“Besides, Clarke.” he called after her, “you are about to go on the paid vacation of a lifetime through this; accommodations all covered.  You get me what I need.  I will be sure you get everything you need too.”  
  
She looked back at him once.  Just in time to see him smile at the end of that sentence.  And she wished she hadn’t.  But she knew she had to make the best of this.      
  
Clarke left Jaha’s office, and the building as well.  
  
She still had time to eat half a lunch with her mom if she hurried. But she didn’t think she could stomach food at the moment.      
  
She had too much on her mind to even try, now.  
  
Maybe at least… maybe at least she could put a spin on this somehow and make some good of it.  Maybe at least she can get Lexa a chance at least and maybe she could get her some coverage in spite of Jaha’s greed.  Maybe she could get Lexa and her cause some publicity somehow.  Her dad always said there was good in everything.  
  
Maybe it was time to find some, now.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading.   
> Please visit me at my tumblr for more of my writing. It is the main home of my fics now.   
> Have a good day.


	3. The Jamaican Iguana

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lexa has ventured onward to Hellshire Hills Jamaica. She is looking for an iguana, but also finds the same reporter from a few weeks before, Clarke Griffin.

She hadn’t expected to find the little frog.  He was not the reason she was in Jamaica. But there he was, tiny and dark green sitting on a rock she had stopped to rest on.  She saw him out of the corner of her eye while getting a drink from her water and when she had she almost choked on her drink.  Very slowly she stopped drinking, lowered her water and grabbed her camera from the gray rubble of rock piled all around her instead.  Lexa hit record, “look at this,” she whispered.  Sliding onto her knees she aimed it at the tiny frog and hit record, “he’s just a little tree frog.  He’s called Eleutherodactylus Cavernicola.  She zoomed in on him a little until she had him in close up, capturing every blink of his eyes, “it’s really quite a big name for such a tiny little guy.  I mean, look at how little he is.” she felt herself smile behind the camera.  

The frog shuffled forward a little and stopped again, as though trying to figure out if she was a dangerous predator or not and if it should flee, “he’s a, a little scared though.. I’m not dangerous,” she said to the little frog. The gray rock and rubble scattered through this area ground under her boots as she tried to squeeze just a bit closer– 

But it seemed to be too much for the tiny frog.  Because suddenly it gathered its hind legs under it and launched itself from the rock, flying through the air and into the shelter of the dense, yet slender to moderately sized, trees and vegetation that covered this part of the land.  

With a sad sigh, Lexa pushed to her feet and stared after the direction her frog had gone.  But after just a second or two she smiled and looked down at her camera in her hand because she had him on film.  Turning the camera she set it on the rock pile again and checked her view before stepping in front of it to explain, “that little guy was a tree frog, as I just mentioned.  He’s endemic to this area.  But not a lot of people know about him really.  He likes lowland forests and caves.  So I am guessing there is probably a cave around here.” she glanced around in implication before going on, “maybe if we find it we will explore it.  But back to the little frog. Like many other animals we look at on this show the little Eleutherodactylus Cavernicola is critically endangered. Mostly because of…” she sighed and said two words she found herself saying too much, “habitat loss.”  She reached forward to shut off the camera a minute.

Lexa took a few minutes after that to finish her water.  She pulled another bottle of it out of her pack and put the other away again before shouldering her pack better and taking her camera and turning it back on, “so we are currently in a place called Hellshire Hills,” she announced, getting the view of her path ahead, “it is it is a subtropical dry forest located in southern Jamaica.  This particular dry forest happens to be one of the most extensive.  There is a lot of limestone and whatnot here. These areas, while in Jamaica tend to be dry as they are in the orographic rain shadow of the blue mountains …over there.” she pointed the direction of the mountains even though they were unseen from not only this distance but down here in the trees.  She kept going though, and while she had to put effort into her steps because of the rocky terrain. 

From above Hellshire Hills had reminded her of the hills of Ireland, a deep, thick expanse of rolling green if somewhat less vibrant in color – until they grew closer and it was easy to tell they were not looking at hills of grass at all, but instead, a deep forest. There were beaches surrounding these hills, in crystal blues and even one place, the water looked orange gold.  

Realizing she was daydreaming and still filming but not saying anything as she recorded her route through the trees Lexa continued with her prepared speech, “so this area has also been said to be one of the last sizable areas of undisturbed dry forest in the Caribbean.  The trees here are mostly black ironwood also called leadwood also there are black poisonwood trees and there are Bauhinia that is a type of Orchid.” she paused in step to pan out and get a wide shot of the trees.  Returning the zoom to the area in front of her she kept walking.  

It was a bit of an uphill climb at the moment and the trail was getting harder to find now with some of the plants protesting her passage over their land as well, “there is also a lot of other plant life here…” she stopped again to zoom in on some of them.  After a few steps and video of plants brushing at her pants legs and boots as she walked she focused the camera straight ahead again. “in fact there are over 270 plant species recorded in this area.  Including,” she said, “about 53 species that are endemic only to here.” she stopped in the dense trees and vegetation to get her bearings, “so, onto the animals.”  

Lexa started down the next hillside, half sliding because it was difficult to keep her footing on the rocky ground. “now this particular dry forest, well, any dry forest,” she on second thought, “happens to have a lot less biodiversity than, as an example, rainforests do.  However, they are still home to a lot of different types of wild animals.  Deer can live in them, monkeys, cats, parrots.  You can find parrots in dry forests.  Also some ground dwelling birds and of course there are always rodents. And it is interesting because ” she reached the bottom of the hill and turned and started along the little valley at the bottom of that hill and the next.  Lexa moved tree branches aside as she did, intentionally leaving the so-called ‘path’ now.  She kept recording through and reflected again what she had just been saying, “many of these animals have an exceptional ability to adjust into these types of difficult climates.  But what we are looking for here today,” she added, stopping for a minute to get herself in the shot standing in a dense thicket of the trees, “is the Jamaican Iguana.” She smiled.  She paused long enough to let that announcement sink in, found the path she needed and continued heading inland along it. 

Her boots seemed to find a home for themselves in the leaf scatter and rock as she started filming ahead of her, “why the Jamaican Iguana, you ask?  Well, while there are 35 different known species of iguana and while you all might be familiar with the green iguana, also known as, believe it or not, _Iguana iguana._ Yes _,_  that is its actual name. Anyway, while _Iguana iguana_ is common across America and is also the most widespread species. The Jamaican Iguana, on the other hand, is not.” She stopped there for now.  She also stopped walking a minute and set the camera down again.  Lexa opened her water back up drank from it deeply. She had prepared for this trip for a couple weeks.  But it was still warm, and drier here than she had expected.  She grunted at herself as she swallowed knowing next trip out she was going to have to plan better. 

She paused in drinking long enough to take a breath.  And as she did, as though it had known what her thoughts had been, the creature she had been seeking climbed over a rock formation in the trees several yards in front of her.  She choked on her water and pulled the bottle away from her face, “Oh you beautiful thing.”   

She almost dropped the water.

But she knew not to waste it.  
  
In frustration that she couldn’t make her fingers go any faster, looking up at the lizard to be sure he was still there at the same time she screwed the cap onto the water.  
  
Then she dropped it.  
  
And even as the bottle hit the ground she was grabbing her camera and turning it on to record, “look at that!” Lexa was gasping as she pointed it toward the iguana on the rock. As she was filming he extending his head up into the sunlight.  Her breath caught, “look at him. Isn’t he beautiful!  I cannot believe I am actually filming this.”      
  
She crept a little closer then, barely moving as she did, filming and pausing between steps to make sure she got as much of him as she could without startling him. After she made it about three feet closer he suddenly, sharply turned to look at her.  Lexa stilled instantly and didn’t move, her heart skipping in her chest as she filmed her lizard. She found herself only able to say the same to sentences, “look at him,” no matter how much she had practiced what she had wanted to say if she found one. As she was filming though her lizard turned its head away from her, as though annoyed, and slinked off the back of the rock, disappearing from sight.  
  
Letting a strangled noise leave her lips Lexa raced after it and scrambled up the rock, standing on the top she managed to film a few more seconds of the iguana, or at least the hind end of it, as it scuttled off through the trees and underbrush.  When he was gone she was still breathless. In fact, she realized only then that she was holding her breath. Exhaling the air in her lungs all at once Lexa grinned widely because she had just filmed the elusive Jamaican Iguana.  Even her skin felt jittery with this realization and she was pretty sure she couldn’t walk just yet.    
  
So instead she turned around and sat on the rock.  Turning her camera to face herself Lexa tried to find the words she had practiced, “did you see that?” she began, which, made her wince because her excitement was that evident and the words were not what she had practiced.  

Lexa cleared her throat and tried again, “so, we’re out here in Hellshire Hills in hopes of filming a Jamaican Iguana.  Which as you know,” she let her smile escape and glanced back over her shoulder, “we actually just did.  Now,” finally able to remember at least a little of what she wanted to say she tried the introduction of the animal again, “why a Jamaican Iguana?  Well as I was saying before, the green ones are quite common but this guy we just caught on film is not so much.  In fact sadly,” her face dropped a little as did her spirits, “I chose him because there are only an estimated 50 or so of these beautiful lizards left. They are critically endangered so badly that at one point these guys were thought to be extinct until their rediscovery in 1990. Because of all of this these guys are known as 'the rarest lizard in the world.” 

She paused for a minute to catch her breath and started into her conclusion, “now, the reason they are so endangered is -at first- somewhat different than most animals featured in my videos.  Because the direct reason these guys are endangered in the first place is the _Herpestes_ _javanicus_ , or the Small Asian Mongoose.  These were introduced as a form of snake control but sadly they started eating the Iguana hatchlings instead,” she paused to think through more of her closing which, as it was, was turning out to be quite longer than she expected, “as a result, the mongoose themselves had to be eradicated so they are no longer the biggest threat the Jamaican Iguanas face.  The biggest threat now is the charcoal industry because the charcoal used by burners is made from these trees,” she nodded to the trees just behind her, “so again.” she concluded with a somewhat downhearted tone, “these iguanas, like the one we have just have the privilege to get on film, are endangered by habitat loss.  Lexa Woods,” she sat at last, “coming to you from Hellshire Hills, Jamaica.”

At the end of the monolog, she had her iguana recorded. Lexa gave a small smile and set the camera down and slid down the rock carefully without it so as not to crush it in her hand.  It was an expensive camera.  It was one she could never afford to replace.  Or buy, for that matter.  But as she turned to pick it up she blinked in surprise because another of the little frogs jumped onto her camera from out of nowhere, “Hey,” she said, her grin returning to her voice. She leaned in a little and poked at the tiny frog to try and get it off her camera. It didn’t budge. It sat there stubbornly blinking its eyes. So she laughed under her breath and poked at it again, “if I kiss you would you turn into a prin—”   

“Hi Lexa.” a voice behind her announced.  
  
Lexa jumped and whirled at the same time finishing her word, “–cess.”  she stared.  In front of her was the blonde girl from a few weeks ago.  This time dressed in more appropriate wear for out here but still with sunglasses and tangled hair and still out of breath. Even if not crashing through the trees it startled her into demanding, “are you following me? What are you doing out here?” she looked behind her in time to see the little frog hop away.  Lexa grabbed her camera and studied the -now stricken- looking girl. Clarke seemed to get a little paler even though she was certainly burning in the sun. Quickly she whispered in a rush that sounded almost like a warning, “I”m about to ask you that…”  
  
Then there was crashing noises in the trees, crashing and scrambling, causing birds to take flight in the air, and then there was the sound of flashing cameras clicking as the camera team from before suddenly burst out of the trees and scrambled up behind Clarke…  
  
“Annd.. now..” one of the guys behind the Camera called loudly ducking behind the cameras again.  
  
“I’m Clarke, Clarke Griffin,” Clarke picked up as though on cue, “Lexa Woods?” she asked, stepping forward, “we would like to know what exactly are you doing?  What are you looking for out here in Hellshire Hills?”  
  
Like before, Clarke shoved the microphone into her face.  It caused Lexa to look at it in surprise.  It caused her to look up at Clarke’s desperate face, desperate and biting on a pink bottom lip and looking at her with pleading eyes.  The look alone was almost enough, almost, to make Lexa forget that Clarke, once again, had interrupted her.  Even if not severely as last time, she was still out here behind her, somehow.      
  
And she wasn’t going to give away that information like she did by mistake last time they met. Not even for that pleading look that weakened her willpower a fraction.  
  
But it didn’t weaken it enough. Lexa turned away.  She took her camera with her precious iguana in it, instead.  She turned back around and wet her lips in the dry heat to prepare herself, “I know you want that information, right?”  
  
“We would love to have your story.”  
  
“I bet you would,” Lexa said back.  And with that she saw Clarke’s face contort just a little as though it was just sinking in that Lexa was not going to answer her question, was not going to tell her what she was doing all the way out here. Especially not when she believed Clarke was the one that needed to be explaining that, “you stay away from me.” she said quietly, leveling her eyes on Clarke’s before turning to walk away.  
  
But Lexa hadn’t turned fast enough.  She had still seen the crushed look on Clarke’s face.  And that image in her head only made Lexa grip her camera a little harder in reminder to herself that she was _not_ the one being rude or inconsiderate. At least the blonde was not following her.  At least there was not that to have to deal with.  
  
Even if she could still feel the disappointment, even if she could still feel blue eyes boring into her back with every step further away from them that she took.  She felt them clearly until she was finally out of Clarke’s sight and deep once more in the shadowy shelter of the Hellshire Hills dry woods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading :)


	4. The  Philippine Crocodile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last leg of her trip and its time to find a crocodile. Clarke shows up again and Lexa panics. But Clarke Griffin has yet to show her true cards yet.

The rented motor-boat drifted lazily down the sluggish river.  It was blue and white, a stark difference to the brown green water, with a very low shiny silver rail that served more as a bar to hang onto for up to four passengers.  
  
But Lexa didn’t take passengers with her on these trips so the extra seats were empty.  Instead, she chose to reach more people by using her camera to take the trips she went on to make videos with to share with the world.  
  
She could hear the sound of the water lapping against the sides of the boat as it moved.  And she could hear this because she had the motor off though and she let the lazy current push the boat forward, not wanting to startle the creature she was looking for today.  In this case, the boat was necessary.  This was not an animal she could safely walk up to if she found it on land.  
  
So she opted to look for it in the river.  Which was also why she needed this boat.  
  
And it had cost her.    
  
She would have to leave these little series of islands she was growing to love.  And go home, back to her own boat off the coast of California.  At least for a while until she could save up more money.      
  
She would miss this place, even with its heat.  Even with its bugs.  It was mad to think of but she was even going to miss her clothes sticking to her skin and her hair, even though she constantly wore it in a braid here, sticking to her neck.  She wiped at the back of her neck now and tugged her sunglasses from her eyes.  The bright contrast nearly blinded her immediately but she wanted to actually be able to spot what she was looking for and it was difficult because the creature was often the same color as the water and it only took her eyes a few seconds to adjust.  
  
Her camera was mounted on the rail in front of her, catching the sights of the water and the amazingly large and beautiful green trees and underbrush on the banks as they slid by.  It was already recording.  Behind the camera, she put her sunglasses away in her pack and took out her water instead.      
  
Lexa unscrewed the lid, took a long drink from it and screwed the lid back on, “okay,” she began to speak, “here we are again back in the Philippines.  Thing is, I love this place and it has such an amazing bio-diversity of beautiful and, sadly often very rare animals. I’m Lexa Woods by the way,” she put her water bottle down, reached forward over the wheel of her rental boat for her camera, turned it around to face her and sat back down in front of it. It filmed her face and nature around her as the river rolled on behind the boat now, “and this time we are in a place called the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park.  It is on the island of Luzon, eastern side.  Anyway, this park is hugely important because of its species diversity and habitat diversity. It is actually believed to have the largest range of both species and habitat diversity in these islands. I mean.” she said. Sitting forward Lexa turned the camera around again, “look at this place…” she let the sentence hang in the air for a minute to maybe get across the effect of what she was feeling, being here.  She felt her own breath catch as she took it all in, “over 711,000 acres of land area alone.  Not to mention over another 71,000 of coastal waters. Did you know,” she asked, “that there are 14 major river systems here alone?  This place.  It is so globally an important place because there are so many species here of plant and animal life that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.  I mean, hang on..”

She grabbed the camera up and used it to zoom in on the banks as they slowly drifted past, “look at these trees? So many of them are endemic.  I mean ..in this one park alone we have Shorea trees, which is a genus of something close to 200 species of what is mostly rain forest trees.  And then there are also,” she extended her hand to point them out, “Hopea in here, which is another genus of plant-life. Mainly they are the main type and also a sub-canopy of trees you usually find here in lowland rain-forest. Some of them though can also become what is called an emergent tree, which is another large rain forest species of tree.  Very,” she pulled back from the camera to see the trees on the bank herself and swallowed a tiny bit as she added as even if she wasn’t looking through it, her camera was still recording, “very critically endangered.  Yes, sadly plant-life is often just as critically endangered as animal-life itself here.  I guess we just don’t think about that a lot.”  She needed to start winding up about the plants here, though and move on to the topic that had brought her, “Millettia is also here as well.  It is a legume. The leaves are generally very large. There is also Dendrobium here which happens to be a rather huge genus of orchid.  But anyway there are so many plants here that it would take forever and countless hours and even episodes to properly name and tell you about them.  But yes, like I said, this home is home to many different species of plant and animal life.  And animal life.” she smiled and turned the camera around for a second, “is what we are about on this show.”   
  
Turning around to get back to her seat she almost knocked herself off balance and had to grab the rail for balance a second while the boat rocked on the water.  It would be a good scene though had it happened, her being tossed over the side into the water. She let go of the rail and went back to the front of the boat to position her camera to record her chair again reminding herself that she knew to be careful and how to walk on a boat.  She fixed the camera into its place in front of her chair and sat down and went back to her introduction again to cut and paste, “so we are currently on the topic of how many different types of animals live in this one park alone.  Many of them that you cannot find anywhere else on this Earth.”   Lexa reached down for her water and opened it and took a drink, “which is what brings us out here today as usual, yeah?  All these beautiful different types of rare animals.  
  
There is a creature here called the giant golden-crowned flying fox,” she smiled for her camera with thought of the animal, “now,” she said, “I know some of you who have never heard of this animal might be having visions in your head of an actual orange or yellow flying fox leaping through trees with flaps of skin something like a flying squirrel has but no,” her smile turned into a grin, “the golden crowned flying fox, or Acerodon jubatus is actually a rare endangered type of bat.  A megabat actually.  Yes, that is a real term, megabat.” she gave an amused chuckle, “for all the scientific and elaborate sounding type names out there that’s we come up with for this guy.” she smirked and shrugged and glanced forward real fast.      
  
There was a bend in the river ahead, she would have to steer just a little to make the turn. She sat forward, her water falling from her lap as she did, but she could only give it a disgruntled glance because she had to take the wheel.  

Lexa made the turn with the ease a sailor had and after she sat back in her seat again, foot up on the wheel, “so megabat.  For this guy it really does apply though, the name, I mean he’s also known as the golden-fruit bat and he’s actually one of the largest bats in the whole world. I mean he can have up to a five and a half foot wingspan and weigh in at over two and a half pounds.  Big, big guy really.” she smiled, “Wish I had a picture.  Or, that we could find him.  That would be a real treat if we could.  But anyway he lives here and eats fruit, not people.  But sadly he’s, like alot of other animals we look for, endangered because of loss of environment and I really hate how much I have to say those words.  But yes, him too, loss of environment with him and also poaching.  Maybe someday,” she said she offered a hopeful smile, “maybe someday we will come back and see if we can find him.  There are also many many other animals in this one Park alone.  There’s actually a myriad of endangered species here.  Among them are all kinds of birds, the Philippine Eagle and also the Philippine Eagle-Owl included.  Note those two, are indeed two separate birds.  The Eagle sadly being on the list of critically endangered.  The Owl actually being only marked as Vulnerable. But that isn’t anything to sigh in relief about,” Lexa added quickly, “because nothing should ever on that list. There are also three different types of endangered sea turtles here alone.  But,” she reached down and grabbed up her water.  Lexa opened it up, “what we are out here looking for today is actually the Philippine Crocodile.” she gulped down alot of the water and gave the camera her trademark smile.  
  
She capped the water and set it aside.  Turning off the camera for a minute she reached down and grabbed the towel from her things to wipe the sweat from her face and neck.  Watching the water and the shoreline in front of her she grabbed insect repellant from her back and sprayed it on every inch of her exposed skin.  It was actually cool compared to the air.  She put it back into her bag and reached again for her bottle of sunscreen that she had had to buy on arrival to this island and an entirely extravagant price because hers had spilled out in her bag on the way over.  And of course, it was something people had to have here so of course, it was overpriced.  
  
She capped the bottle of sunscreen and tossed it back into her bag.  Lexa then sat back in her chair and put her foot up on the wheel again.  All in all, though, she meant it.  She loved it here.  She ached slightly in the pit of her stomach knowing she’d soon have to go home.  Since her camera was not recording now she used her foot to steer the boat around the next bend in the river.  
  
With her thoughts drifting to having to go home, and the sadness it caused her, she wasn’t really paying attention to the slick green brown form just around the edge of the bend that hissed at her and slid quickly down into the murky water and disappeared.

Lexa shot to her feet, “oh my God!” she scrambled over the wheel.  Grabbed her camera and turned it on.  With it in hand she started recording the water, turning right and left fast, looking through her lens as she did, “so you wouldn’t know it but I was just sitting here putting sunscreen on and I saw one of them.  He slid somewhere here into this part of the water.”  her heart was pounding with excitement though and she walked up and down the side of the boat, “crocodile,” she clarified quickly realizing she hadn’t mentioned who ‘he’ was.  “Just caught sight of one of the crocodiles we are out here to try and–”  
  
“Lexa Woods!” a voice shouted out over the water from the distance.  She growled in anger when she also heard the active sound of a motorboat coming close.  She looked at the river in longing.  Her crocodile for sure wasn’t coming back now–  
  
“Lexa!” the voice called again.  The noise of the other boat coming increasingly closer.  
  
In frustration, Lexa set her camera down and glared toward the sound of her name.  As the blonde appeared in her vision, standing in the oncoming boat and waving her down Lexa’s face contorted a little in recognition of her.  

Clarke Griffin.  
  
Oh. 

_Shit_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey thank you for reading!  
> Come see me on tumblr :)


	5. Off the Deep End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke takes the plunge, literally. In disbelief, Lexa saves her because Clarke can’t swim.

_“Lexa!” the voice called again. The noise of the other boat coming increasingly closer._  
  
_In frustration, Lexa set her camera down and glared toward the sound of her name. As the blonde hair appeared in her vision, standing in the oncoming boat and waving her down Lexa’s face contorted a little in recognition of her. Clarke Griffin._  
  
_Oh. Shit._

* * *

Lexa didn’t know what was worse; that the boat had a waving, smiling Clarke Griffin reporter in it that had just crashed her video - again, or that it was speeding so fast toward her that it was spraying green water out to the sides and seemed as though it was going to crash right into her.

It was as though Clarke realized it too late as well cause the smile faded suddenly and she seemed to start scrambling about in the boat as though to try and get to the wheel.

Lexa dove for hers. Turning on the engine with a quick, practiced hand she turned the wheel as far as it could go. Her heart was thumping as the little rental started to slowly turn out of the way. She shot a glare across at Clarke as the motor boat she was in came alongside.

Clarke lost balance as it sped past. She fell out of the boat with a loud and startled yelp that was cut off with a sploosh of her hitting green water.

“Shit.” Lexa cut the engine of her rental. She scrambled to the edge of it to look over the side. Clarke came up, coughing and sputtering and splashing, “Lexa!” water drowned out her name as it spilled into the blonde’s throat–

This was bad.

“Lexa!” Clarke came up thrashing and spitting out water–

“Clarke!” Lexa shouted at her, leaning over the rail. She reached out with her hand, “get my hand, Clarke!”

Clarke coughed out more water and went under again.

“Clarke!” Lexa’s other hand gripped the rail now too as she scanned the surface fanatically waiting for the girl to come back up. She knew she was grinding her teeth as seconds ticked past too quickly and there was only bubbling green water and no Clarke. Dammit, could the girl _not_ swim?

Lexa didn’t have time to wait anymore. She got one foot up onto the shining rail of the rental boat and jumped over the side after Clarke. She swam down. She opened her eyes. Through the murky water, she saw loose strands of blonde hair floating about and arms still struggling as though trying to get to the surface. Lexa swam to her. Eyes met for just a second in murky water. Lexa got Clarke by the back of the shirt. Kicking her legs Lexa hauled them both to the surface. With a great splash, they broke through it and Lexa held onto the spluttering blonde’s arm as she heaved air into her own lungs enough to shout at Clarke, “Tell me you didn’t! Tell me you are not that stupid! Tell me you didn’t come all the way out here on a boat no less!” she motioned angrily the direction the boat had sped off, “and you can’t swim!”

“Lexa…” Clarke was shaking and still thrashing despite Lexa’s hold on her.

“There are crocodiles in this river!” Lexa shouted at her in frustration, “and other things that could!— ”

“I..I…” Clarke was spluttering. Damn, she was shaking and squirming into Lexa and clinging around her neck, “Lexa.. I can’t…” Clarke was trying to get her legs around her.

“Clarke?” Lexa snapped back but then was suddenly concerned because Clarke really was panicking. She gripped the girl better. Lexa pulled her back just enough to look at her better, her tone more demanding, “Clarke!”

She had to get her out of the water. Wrapping an arm around the girl that was still clinging to her like an orangutan Lexa started to swim the small distance back to her boat.  

But the grip Clarke had on her didn’t last. As she neared the boat and looked up at the blue sky, green trees and silver boat rungs she felt Clarke’s hands and legs loosen up. Clarke’s struggles had stopped. It caused her to look back. Her heart skipped a beat to see that she was not moving.

For some reason, this put fear into Lexa. She got an arm around Clarke’s middle, grabbed the rail, and heaved them both up it and over the side of her boat.

Lexa fell onto the boat floor. Clarke landed on top of her. Immediately she scrambled out from under the blonde and knelt beside her. The sharp stabs of anxiety crippling her suddenly that Clarke might have drowned eased when she saw the blonde was still breathing. Clarke’s blue eyes rolled open weakly, “Lexa…” on her back Clarke started coughing and spitting out river-water. Her whole body jerking with the effort it took.  

Lexa turned her onto her stomach and let her cough and heave water out of her lungs onto the boat floor.  Between coughs, Clarke would tremble, try to support her own weight and try to speak, “Lex …Lexa.”

“Save your breath so you can breathe,” Lexa scolded. With her arm around Clarke’s chest, she helped support her weight while she couldn’t. Lexa’s own wet hair had been washed out of its tie and fell over the blonde. In this position, she could feel the steady pound of Clarke’s heart under her wrist. But now that she knew Clarke would live she was angry, so angry, suddenly.

Clarke’s coughing was stopping. Lexa jerked away from her, “you could have killed us!” she shouted at Clarke. Lexa shoved to her feet, “what the hell were you thinking?! Where are your camera guys?! Don’t tell me they left you alone out here!”

Clarke managed to turn somehow and sit down with her back to the wall, “they didn’t come. I thought just myself would be easier on you. I didn’t mean to fall in the river!” she tried to shout back, but the sentences came out with as wet rasps instead and a glare through wet blonde hair sticking to her forehead. Clarke pulled the wet strands aside, “Lexa.”

Lexa started pacing the small boat furiously, “you were standing up in a small boat going extremely fast, Clarke! You let go of the wheel!” she shouted, whirling to glare at her, “what did you think would happen? Did you think I would be happy to see you? Did you?”

“No,” Clarke answered quickly, “but I don’t have much of a choice. If I can just have five minutes–”

“I don’t want you following me around!” Lexa snapped at her, cutting her off, “I never asked for you to follow me everywhere! And now,” she motioned out to the river, “You almost got yourself killed!” Lexa knew her temper had the better of her. She could feel it stinging in the hot air and yet she stared at the girl in front of her and watched each word bite into the blonde. But they didn’t seem to hurt her because she didn’t cower. They only seemed to shock her into silence. Maybe she at least now realized that her actions had consequences to them. Wiping clumps of algae away off her own face Lexa turned away–

“Thank you for saving me.”

The quiet words deflated her. Lexa found herself having to take a couple of deep breaths to counter the rush of most her anger sucked out of her body. With a partial glance over her shoulder, she answered just as quietly, “you’re welcome.”  

Clarke pushed to her feet and stood there water dripping from her skin, hair, and clothes onto the floor of the boat, “I really am sorry, Lexa. I didn’t mean for this to happen. I actually don’t _want_ to be doing this to you.”

Maybe she didn’t, Lexa realized that. But she wasn’t going to say that it was okay when it _wasn’t_. She turned around quickly again so she didn’t have to keep looking at Clarke’s hopeful face, found her camera where it had rattled to the ship floorboard in all the excitement, picked it up and put it back into place in front of the wheel, “just do me a favor.” she said at last.

“Anything.”

“First, stop following me.” Lexa looked at the river hoping for a glimpse of the creature she’d come here for. But there was no crocodile. She looked at the trees with the leaves that dripped over the banks and into the water hoping maybe one would be laying under them. But there wasn’t, “second,” she said and now she did look over at Clarke to punctuate her next words, “don’t ever do something as stupid as that again. Have a vest on or something next time you might be in the water.”

“Okay,” Clarke answered, nodding just a little. She said it again as though to confirm it to herself, “okay.”

“Okay,” Lexa replied in a neutral tone. The boat they were in had drifted some and was still drifting on the slow currents after she cut the engines, “your boat,” she said next. Lexa looked up the river in the direction Clarke’s wayward boat had sped off in, “it’s probably long gone. It will be dark soon,” looking away from Clarke, “we have to go back now.” She gave the river one last hopeful look and reached to turn the key but didn’t quite make it to it because Clarke spoke up, “we can come back in the morning. We can find-”

“No, Clarke.” Lexa cut her off, “you are going to have to get someone else.” before Clarke could argue with her Lexa grabbed her camera.  It was already on so she turned it and held it in front of herself and faked a smile, “so we did not get to film a crocodile today,” she tried to sound normal but her voice sounded lackluster to her though, “but, we will be back here soon as we can to look for it,” she looked around her, “in this beautiful place. For now, Lexa Woods, Philippine Crocodile Hunt, out.” she put the camera down slowly and reached for the keys again.

“Lexa?” Clarke actually sounded sullen, a little.

Lexa turned the boat on and started back the way she had come, “I can take you back to the dock. You’re on your own from there.” she said over the humming of the motor as she steered.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Clarke come to stand where she was, “I am sorry about your crocodile. In the morning you can come with me. We can look for your crocodile too.”

“Clarke, I don’t want to be on a boat with you,” Lexa stated clearly. She saw Clarke fall back a little as though she’d been physically hit. Did she expect differently? Lexa stared down the river ahead of them and refused to sway, “besides, I am leaving in the morning. Early. I have to go back to California.” Without her crocodile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> May we meet again at my [tumblr](https://adistantstarblog.tumblr.com/)  
> Thanks for reading.


	6. Be it Ever so Humble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lexa is home, editing her video’s at Anya’s house. Who ever thought that older sisters could be so annoying? Especially since they keep wanting to talk about a particular blonde girl…

The flights back to California had been uncomfortable and long. Lexa had the aisle seat, and though her sister Anya had offered several times to upgrade her Lexa reminded her also several times that she couldn’t accept something if she hadn’t earned it.

Anya had called her impossible each time and reminded her she was her sister and that ‘sisters did these kinds of things’  But each time Lexa had escaped by saying her plane was boarding and she had to go and hung up the phone.  

All the same, aisle seats or not, she had finally made it home.  She had showered and slept one night in her own bed on her boat rocked by the waves off California’s coastline and there was some truth in the saying that ‘wherever you roam there is no place like home’ or was it ‘be it ever so humble there’s no place like home?’

That was two weeks ago and she had spent nearly every minute of them except the time it took to eat and sleep editing content as fast as she possibly could at Anya’s new apartment.  She’d moved again since Lexa had left for the Philippines and her apartment, much like all her previous places she had lived in since crashing into Lexa’s life, could only be described as spartan.  Anya’s work dictated it because she did move a-lot.  But it was also the reason Anya had a full office of several expensive computers that probably no one else was supposed to touch, look at or even know about.

But Anya let her anyway. She would say it was only because she wanted to know where Lexa had been and what she had been up to in the months between their meet-ups.  But Lexa knew that Anya knew she would refuse any offer to buy her a good computer of her own and she also knew that Anya knew that this type of editing wasn’t something she could do to her standards that matched ‘professional quality’ as some of her comments said from the laptop that was currently lost and collecting dust under her bed the same as it had been doing the past several months.

She was grateful.  But that didn’t mean that Anya’s pacing back and forth behind her as she tried to edit Iguana clips wasn’t getting on her nerves.  She tried to ignore it a second longer but Anya started grunting in frustration and glaring at her every few steps. Finally, Lexa felt herself grinding her teeth, “Anya?” she almost growled.  She squinted at the screen in front of her.  This part of the filming seemed mostly of the forest floor and her walking feet. She grunted because she had a-lot of footage like this from times she forgot and left the camera on.  But it was mostly wasted footage. No one really wanted to watch 15-20 minutes of her feet.

“Yes, Lexa?” Anya’s voice was clipped as she turned fully to stare at her back.  

“Stop pacing,” Lexa asked.  She found the clipping tool and started cutting the footage of her feet, “I am not putting the girl into this episode. Not even by accident, again.” she was going to be very careful to make sure she didn’t include one little shot of Clarke.  She would not even let so much as a fingertip or a strand of blonde hair in - to the video.  

Anya’s hand slammed down hard onto the shiny desk surface next to Lexa in the low light of the office, spilling her coffee and causing her to jump out of her skin at the same time.  Lexa jumped out of her chair the instant the hot liquid hit her lap, “look what you did, Anya!” she didn’t have any extra clothes with her.  She glared at her sister.

“Oh, hush,” Anya scolded, looking her over with flashing eyes, “for someone who spends two-thirds of their life out in the wilds of … God …who knows where..” it was clear Anya was getting frustrated too because she was pointing her finger at the door of the office as though the Ujung Kulon was just on the other side of it before lowering her hand and glaring at her again, “getting stuck full of bugs and slimy water–”

Slimy water.  Her brain flashed back instantly again to that moment with Clarke and pulling her out of the river and she wasn’t seeing Anya’s office anymore she was crashing to the floor of that faded blue rental boat.  She had been, and still was, so furious with Clarke that she could barely think at first –

_“I don’t want you following me around!” Lexa snapped at her, cutting her off, “I never asked for you to follow me everywhere! And now,” she motioned out to the river, “You almost got yourself killed!” Lexa knew her temper had the better of her. She could feel it stinging in the hot air and yet she stared at the girl in front of her and watched each word bite into the blonde. But they didn’t seem to hurt her because she didn’t cower. They only seemed to shock her into silence. Maybe she at least now realized that her actions had consequences to them. Wiping clumps of algae away off her own face Lexa turned away–_

_“Thank you for saving me.”_

But Lexa lost her crocodile and one entire video session in her series that she could never get back-

“Are you even listening to me?” Anya demanded, yanking Lexa back into the present, into the dim office, to look up at Anya standing there under the lamp over her head with her hands on her hips glaring at her.  Lexa felt herself blinking a little bit as a result of being pulled out of her memories so fast.  But she saw Anya’s face soften, just a fraction before her sister dropped her arms, “where were you just now?” she asked.

Lexa rolled her eyes but she was honest, “on a boat,” she said, “in a river.” She shook her head a little in frustration because the memory was not the best one, “last day of my trip.”

“Day you lost the crocodile?” Anya asked.  

It was clear to Lexa and had been for a long time that Anya couldn’t tell one crocodile from the next or any other animal for that matter and it was clear that Anya’s interests and hers were not the same just by the fact that their lives and what they did were so widely different.  But it was also very clear to her that her sister did care. Lexa admitted, “yes.”

Anya snorted, “come with me.” she said, she walked past Lexa abruptly and out of the room.  Not quite sure what her sister was about.  Lexa looked back at her half-edited video on the computer behind her.  It was still hooked into her camera.  At this rate, she would never have it done in time but she turned away and left the room too, “Anya?” she asked into the veritably empty -except for a large tv set and a new leather couch that still smelled new -huge- main living area of the apartment.  She took another step looking around.  Her sister’s ways of vanishing were pretty famous but in her own house, she couldn’t have gone far. She crossed the room, passing the kitchen area and peeked into the bedroom door on the other side. 

Like the rest of her house, it was empty too, except for a large brand new bed without even a head or footboard and Anya’s one piece of furniture she never ever replaced, a large green sea-trunk. Anya was at this trunk on the other side of the room.  She pulled out a black pair of sweatpants and a tank top and turned, “catch.” she said, tossing the clothing at her.  

Lexa caught the clothing.  As she did it unfolded partly and she looked over at Anya in surprise.  Anya just shrugged and left the room, brushing past Lexa, “get changed.” she said to her, “toss your clothes in the basket near the door as you do and I will put them in to be washed–”

“Right,” Lexa answered quietly, surprised, as Anya slipped past her out the door.  Lexa got out of her things quickly, one by one she kicked them off and put them in the basket.  She tugged the sweatpants and tank top on to find they were surprisingly soft and comfortable. When she was done she turned and walked out of the door and into the front of the apartment again to see Anya seated on her couch, elbows on her knees chin in her hands staring at apparently nothing.  She looked up as Lexa entered though, “better?” she asked.

Lexa flipped her braid out of the back of her shirt, “yes, thank you.” she answered.

Anya lifted an eyebrow at her, “now about the girl?”

“Anya,” Lexa heaved and rolled her eyes, “no.”

“All I am saying,” Anya stood up, “is I know that you not getting your alligator on video–”

“Crocodile,” Lexa corrected, glaring across at her sister. She folded her arms stubbornly, “specifically Philippine Crocodile.”

Anya stared across at her and snorted, “alligator, crocodile, same difference.” 

“No,” Lexa stated, dropping her arms, “not the same difference really.  Alligators are–”

“Lexa,” Anya snapped, the tone alone made Lexa look up to see her sister staring at her with a mix of concern and irritation on her face, “you don’t have enough footage to carry a season to make money.”

Lexa breathed in deeply, “thank you for that reminder.” 

“I know you don’t want this.  I know you don’t want to hear it,” Anya shook her head and moved into Lexa’s space, “but your fans?  They want Clarke.  Give them what they want Lexa.  They were so excited you brought another person onto your show–”

“I didn’t bring her onto the show!” Lexa felt every hair on her body bristle, “she got left in the footage by accident.”

Anya stared at her, “they loved her hat.” she pointed out, “a-lot of them commented on it.”

Lexa turned away from her sister and strode over to the window to look down at the city far below them.  She never felt she fit in in the city.  But it was a jungle of its own kind, “I am not putting her in the show.” Anya had no idea what Clarke was like. 

Anya’s sigh was audible from across the room, “all I am saying, Lexa, is that if you include her in at least one video, you might have enough footage to carry your season.”

Hearing that, made Lexa’s brain work automatically - if she included Clarke she would have enough footage? She would be able to keep her sponsors.  She–

Why was she even considering this?  She turned abruptly to Anya and stared at her.  Anya was staring back with that smart look on her face that she wore when she was right and she knew she was right. But Lexa was stubborn and picked up her chin, “I am not putting her in.” 

“Of course not,” Anya answered almost flatly. She unfolded her arms, “You are too stubborn for your own good.”

“I have to finish editing,” Lexa answered, she turned and walked away from the window and went into the office and sank into her chair.  As she did she looked up at the computer screen and snorted under her breath.  The image she had paused it on was none other than Clarke Griffin’s face.

_Of course._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> find me on tumbler at adistantstarblog 
> 
> thank you for reading


	7. Expendable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke is back home, and back at the office. Jaha has some things to say about her accidentally showing up in one of Lexa’s videos and makes it clear if she doesn’t get what he wants what happens.

Jaha stared at her from across the desk.  The look on his face was a mix of confusion and irritation, “you mean to tell me,” he began slowly, leaning into the desk a little and sounding very patronizing, “that you have been out in the field now for almost _three_ months, that you have been following her for three months, that I have been paying your air fare and hotels and expenses in all that time and you have nothing?” he asked.  He lifted his chin a little as though to look more stern, “nothing more on Woods than when you first went out there?”

Clarke stared back at him.  The chair she was in was soft, but right now it felt uncomfortably hard.  Just like she was also uncomfortable with this conversation, indeed with this whole assignment.  Each encounter she had with Lexa made her feel more wrong about it than she had when she had first begun, “I am tired of barging in, interrupting what she is doing–”

“You are a reporter, Clarke.” he said to her, “you get the story.” He stared her down, his mouth twisted just a little bit with disgust, “you do what it takes to get that story.  You always have. Why are you hesitating now?”

She inhaled deeply, “I am not hesitating. I just think this should be handled more professionally than–” she thought about the crushed look on Lexa’s face when she realized she wasn’t going to be able to film her crocodile, “the way we are doing it now.”

He just stared at her a second, grunted, snorted, turned his laptop on and was silent for a few seconds as he started typing something into the keyboard.  She had a good idea what it was, and when he turned the screen around to show the paused and captured image of herself stumbling down the bank on Lexa’s YouTube she knew she was right and she felt a distinct shiver in her spine that said she didn’t want to be here anymore.  

“People love this,” Jaha said quickly, glancing at her and glancing at the screen.  He leaned into the desk, “we can capitalize off of this.” He stared at her hard and demanded, “why haven’t you? And why?” he asked, “haven’t you brought me anything?  Other than this..” he looked at the screen again.

The scene in question was only a second long, a blink, as though it had been left in by accident.  But she knew it was setting not only her social media but also Lexa’s social media and even the social media of the news channel on fire.  She wasn’t about to tell him that the story was so much to this story than the video actually managed to leak out.  That Lexa had saved her life.  So she felt herself pull in another breath and looked at him across the desk and said the only thing she could say without giving a lot away, “look, I don’t think she meant for me to be in that shot.”  Because if Lexa had wanted her in any of the episodes, she had so much other footage to use than this.  Better footage, “and if she did,” Clarke went on, “she is the kind that would call us up and ask me first.”

That, was when Clarke knew she had slipped up.  Jaha sat back in his chair and laced his fingers together, “so you do know a bit more about her?” he looked at her in interest now, “what are you hiding from me?”

But Clarke was stubborn. Even though her stomach was twisting now because he had the idea in his head she was going to ignore his question however she could manage to, “we should call her.”

“She doesn’t take calls, I’m told.”

"Have you even tried?" Clarke asked. 

"People want her, Clarke," Jaha answered, "not a phone call."

“So you think charging in when she is working is a good idea?” Clarke demanded.

“It’s the only other one we have,” Jaha said to her firmly.  He leaned into the desk again as though to emphasize his point, “and we are going to use it.”

Clarke only stared at him though.  And as she did she knew she had to get Lexa out of this. Somehow. I just don’t think,” Clarke repeated carefully, “that we should be chasing after her.” She thought back to the day on the boat in the river and how things may have ended if Lexa hadn’t been there, “it’s her job.”

“Yes,” he answered, he looked at her coldly again and added, “don’t make me tell you again to do yours.  She is in the city, if you want to catch up with her here,” he said to her, “though sometimes she tends to slip off the radar here and I don’t know how. Thing is, I don’t care how you do it.  Just do it.  You get what I want,” he said to her, “or don’t come back at all.”

“What?” she demanded, standing up.  She felt sick suddenly. She stared at him, “you can’t be serious—“

“You may go.” Jaha turned back to his computer screen.

Clarke, for her part, stared at him, “you can’t do that.”

“I said,” he repeated without looking up at her, “you can go.”  

It hit Clarke then and there how badly Jaha used people and didn’t care whom he hurt to do it.  He was using Lexa. He was spying on her.  He was even using Clarke too and now she was expendable, “there is one thing,” she said as she got up from her chair.  He did cast his eyes up to look at her. Clarke took her computer case from where she had hung it on the back of the chair, “you better hope she doesn’t catch you.”

“She can’t touch me, Clarke.”  He smirked, “she doesn’t have the means.”

Clarke put the strap of her computer bag over her shoulder, “you better hope she can’t.” she said.  It was starting to sound like what had happened with Mt. Weather.

“Are you threatening me?” he seemed more amused than anything though.  He even smirked at her.

“It isn’t a threat.” She didn’t make threats.  But she didn’t know what to do yet. She hadn’t been lying to Lexa when she said she didn’t want to do this. She wanted to at least turn this situation into positive coverage for her somehow.  But the adventurer was fighting her.  For good reason too. With a sick knot in her stomach that she was damned if she was going to let show in front of him Clarke turned and walked out of the office door.  

Her head was spinning too fast.  She wanted to go home but had at least another hour before she could and she didn’t have anywhere to be alone without saturating anyone else with her anger except for the bathroom down the hall.  Clarke pushed the door open quickly and ducked inside. There were three metal stalls.  The lighting bars in the ceiling were old and one of them flickered and flashed giving the atmosphere in the room a frightening undertone that normally brought a chill to her spine because it reminded her of a freaking horror show.

But right now, all she could do was think of Lexa.  How could she do this without hurting her more? Could she find her in the city? She was stalking the poor girl whose passion only made her want to chase down rare animals and put them on the internet, who had never done anything to Thelonius Jaha whom apparently was okay with spying on anyone.

It made Clarke’s entire stomach hurt even more. She went to the sink and turned it on and started splashing water on her face. She did it again and again to try and break the hot feeling on her skin.  

The door pushed open. Clarke looked over quickly. It was Harper and her friend Zoe Monroe.  Harper’s voice seemed too loud suddenly in the bathroom and pushed into her ears even if it wasn’t directed at her, ”we are going to call it Nia and it’s a pretty serious storm system.  It’s coming up the coastline but by the time it develops into an actual hurricane in a couple weeks it will have moved off into the –oh.” Harper stopped suddenly seeing her.  Zoe looked at her too.  But Harper –their resident meteorologist- smiled at her, “hi Clarke, I didn’t know you were back.”

“We thought you were still out chasing after that girl.” Zoe added, “Lena?”

Harper put her hands on her hips and corrected her, “Lexa, her name is Lexa Woods.”

Zoe rolled her eyes, “right, Lexa.” Zoe offered her a smile too.

Clarke kept up with them somehow, “I’m not back for long.” She answered. She didn’t let her face give away what she was feeling like and offered a small, if fake, smile back. Clarke shrugged and closed her hands around her upper arms as she did, “I have to go back out there.”

“I saw you in the vid,” Harper commented.

“Mm.” Clarke agreed, “Yeah, everyone did.  So,” she changed the subject to something that would keep them from talking about Lexa, “Hurricane Nia huh?  Right up your alley?”

“It’s just a tropical storm right now.  Nia will be hurricane strength, but not until it’s out to sea.” Harper answered, “but yes,” she said, “exciting.”

The bathroom door opened, “Harper!” Mel, the camera crew’s p.a. stuck her head in, “you’re on in ten!” Mel ducked out again quickly as she had entered.

Harper had barely time to look the p.a.’s direction. She glanced back at Clarke. She glanced at herself in the mirror and straightened out her top and skirt, “okay, I have to go.  If we don’t meet again good luck out there Clarke. This story of yours might be your big break too.” Harper turned and left the bathroom.  Zoe followed her out, waving back at Clarke as she left.  The door closed fully behind them.

She sighed.  She looked at her face in the mirror.  She looked at the time on her dad’s watch.  Raven wouldn’t be here to get her for an hour. Maybe at home, she could look up Lexa and try and get her on the phone.  Maybe she could leave her a comment on her youtube channel ‘I am that blonde that has been chasing you’ but she knew from looking that Lexa already had several comments from girls claiming that they were her.  Social Media was amazing like that and besides, contacting her like that might only make it worse.

That was when it hit Clarke that she could use social media to her benefit. She could admit she was the blonde in the video and turn the whole mess into something beneficial, into something good, “I can make a fundraiser.” It would be used to continue to bring awareness to the plight of Lexa’s animals.  

It would be perfect.  

She just had to keep Jaha from finding out, somehow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. 
> 
> Follow me on tumbler at adistantstarblog for more.


	8. A Whale's Tale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whales have beached on the shore. Clarke has the live report. The last person Clarke would have expected to arrive on the scene ..is Lexa.

_Whales Beach Overnight._

Lexa’s laptop was on from the night before and already her table when she read the headline on the local news page at the top of the screen.  She was barely awake.  She was reaching for her coffee cup when she read it.  Her eyes widened.  Her hand slowed down mid-reach and fell into her lap.  She clicked the article, “an entire pod of whales,” she began to read out-loud.

Her phone chose to start ringing that exact second.  Still staring at the screen in front of her Lexa scrambled a hand forward across the surface of her small table, grabbed her phone and answered, “what is it, Anya?” there was frustration in her voice.

“ _Is this Miss Lexa Woods_?” the voice on the other end asked, male, not Anya.

“Who is asking?”

“ _My name is Wells Jaha, with Arkadia News_ ,” the voice continued, “ _we were looking for Miss Lexa Woods to see if she would like to come down to the Beach today to offer ideas about the Whales_.”

“I am Woods,” Lexa answered.  She stared at the screen harder hardly hearing the voice. She rubbed her forehead with her free hand, “when?”

On the other end of the phone, Wells Jaha answered, “ _we go live in 20 minutes_.”

Lexa’s eyes roamed the pictures on the news article, “I will be there,” she said quickly.  In the pictures, there were so many people walking up and touching these poor whales, “contact the law enforcement.  They need to get those people away from these poor animals.  And close that beach for now.”

“ _Will do.._ ” Wells answered, “ _Miss Woods, can you answer–_ ”

Lexa hung up the phone.  But she had barely time to start finding keys to her motorcycle when her phone started ringing again.  She ignored it.  She was already on the way and having to tell them so again would just hold her up.  She checked the counter by the coffee pot. She checked the table by her bed.  But her phone would not stop ringing.  Angry she answered it, “yes, what? I have said I am on my way.” Lexa spun as she did and at the same time caught sight of her keys hanging up on their hook where they were supposed to be near the stairs that went up to the deck. She rolled her eyes at herself and strode toward them.

 _“Is that a way to greet your sister_?” Anya’s voice asked.

“Anya?” Lexa demanded.  She grabbed her keys off the hook and as she did she realized she was still in her shorts and shirt that served as pajamas.  With a sigh, she hung up the keys. She would have to shower really fast. Lexa turned to find clothes, “what do you want?”

“ _I am not sure if you have seen the news_ ,” Anya answered dryly.

“The whales, yes,” Lexa opened a drawer under her bed and started pulling out cargo jeans and a white tank top.  She started tugging off what she had on, “I am actually on my way out there now.”

“ _No_ ,” Anya answered, “ _wait, whales? What whales_?”

“Whales on the Beach, Anya,” Lexa answered irritably, “an entire Pod of them.”

“ _Forget whales_ ,” Anya sounded perturbed and amused at the same time which was a talent only she could really master, “ _I mean the other news_.”

Lexa stopped and stood in just her underwear, “other news?” she asked.  She didn’t like the tone of Anya’s voice really. Especially considering the smirk in it as Anya added, “ _oh …you must not have seen what your Clarke is doing, yet._ ”

“She’s not mine,” Lexa countered.  Her tone stiffened even more though when she asked, “what is she doing?” because she really wasn’t sure she wanted to know.  As an afterthought, she added sarcastically, “taking swimming lessons I hope?”

“ _Swimming lessons, what_?” Anya asked in confusion, “ _Lexa ..you are not making sense this morning-_ -”

“Never,” Lexa sat on the edge of her bed and rubbed her forehead in frustration because mentioning Clarke and swimming reminded her of that day, “never-mind. But what did you need now? I really have to go Anya, what is she doing?”

“ _She’s got a fundraiser going on_ ,” Anya supplied with amusement saturating her voice, “something about,” Anya paused and Lexa could hear her chewing on something she was eating. Chewing noises was always one of Lexa’s pet-peeves. Anya spoke again, “ _something about a crocalisk_.”

“Crockalisk?” Lexa got up, “what?” She tried to place the word.  It did sound familiar.  Then it hit her, “crocodile, Anya. Crocolisks are World of Warcraft.”

“ _They are, that’s right_ ,” Anya muttered under her breath. Then she started gulping something down as though to hide it.

“Wait,” Lexa realized something, “how did you even know the word Crockalisk?  Anya,” Lexa asked in a tone that almost sounded accusatory, “have you been playing online games?”

“ _It might currently be part of my job_ ,” Anya answered vaguely, “ _for now. But listen, Lexa. We’re off track. I was calling because Clarke has set up a fundraiser for animal conservation awareness_.”

“That’s good.” Lexa heard herself saying, “that’s good.” any conservation awareness would help. But this was Clarke so she was still waiting for that other shoe to drop, “and?” she asked.

“ _Lexa, look_ ,” Anya spoke, changing the topic, her tone went quieter than usual but not completely gentle.  It was the tone she used when something was bothering her, “ _you know I am only suggesting you consider including the girl for numbers right? You can pay rent, I know, and feed yourself and it’s very clear people love your show; you’ve built it all on your own. You don’t need her to keep it - your show or your talent.  But you are short a video, which will hurt your income.  You need these sponsors Lex, in case something happens._ ”

Lexa felt herself get quieter. Because she hated admitting, “I know. I know that.”

“ _I support you whatever you chose, you know that too, yes?_ ” Anya asked.

“Yes.”

“ _Anyway, this fundraiser_ ,” Anya went back to the topic at hand, “ _all proceeds are going to you_.” 

Lexa was stunned speechless a second. She felt her mouth drop, “she can’t!” the protest was the first two words off her lips. She repeated them, “she can’t.” she hardly knew the girl. On top of that the meetings, they had never ended well.

“ _Well, Lexa, she is_.” Anya verified.

Lexa squeezed her eyes shut and dashed for her chair, “let me have her social media Anya, I know you have it already.”

“ _I thought you had beached whales._ ” Anya’s voice was clearer now back against her ear.

Lexa insisted, “and I will still make it if you will just hurry and tell me.”

-=-

“Here we are on the beach coming to you live,” the wind off the ocean tore at Clarke’s hair as she spoke into the microphone and stood alongside the pounding of the inbound waves. The skies were gray and cloudy today and behind her like broken behemoths, the whales lay dying on the sand with rescue workers frantically spraying water onto them, “where dozens of whales have beached overnight.  I am Clarke Griffin with Arkadia News and as this story unfolds we are taking questions.”

That caused an explosion of noise from the crowds behind the police lines. One voice was louder than the rest, “are they dying?” it asked. A man a few rows back in the crowd waved his hand in the sea air to get her attention, “have any of them died?”

“Unfortunately yes,” Clarke answered, “rescue teams here have lost three of the animals since last night and in spite of best efforts it is suspected more if not all of them will follow if we don’t get the whales back into the water.”

“Do you know why they beached themselves?” Another voice behind the lines shouted out. It was quickly followed up with a woman calling out, “how are they going to get them back in the water?”

“From what I understand an animal specialist has been called out who is going to help answer those questions,” Clarke was glad to have at least one solid answer. But then she looked up and saw the crowds were parting for a pair of police officers escorting a person through them toward her. The officers waved at her to let her know her specialist had arrived, “and here they are now,” she said. She was glad to have the weight of the harder questions taken off her shoulders and watched as the person walked up to the police line, saw her, and froze on the spot.

Clarke did too. In fact, she felt her mouth drop open in front of the microphone. All she could do was watch as Lexa regained her control first, ducked under the police line, and walked up to her. Lexa’s hair was pulled back in its customary braid and even though the truth was in Lexa’s eyes that she recognized Clarke she still walked right up to her and offered out her hand like they had never met, “Lexa Woods,” she introduced herself. Clarke was still staring, speechless and live on the air she was staring numbly at Lexa Woods.  She pulled it together quickly though, as though the hand offered hers was a lifeline back to being able to talk she gripped it and said her name back, “Clarke Griffin.” Clarke released Lexa’s warm fingers.

Lexa put her hands on her hips, “now,” she said, looking over the beach she frowned sadly and looked at Clarke again, “I am seeing an awful lot of beached whales.”

“Yes,” Clarke pulled herself together, “a-lot of beached whales.” she had to get through this. This was different. This time it was Lexa suddenly showing up in the middle of her work instead of the other way around.  The irony wasn’t lost on her nor was the irony that the last time they had met and the first time for that matter was in a jungle on the other side of the world when apparently they both lived in the same city.  Clarke’s heart started thumping a loudly in her chest as she remembered that last meet up with Lexa and suddenly she was back there and Lexa was jumping into the river to save her. She was thinking of Lexa, beautiful Lexa, with her hair floating about like a silken cloud under the water, looking into her eyes.

“Did you have questions about the whales, Miss Griffin?” Lexa’s voice asked. Clarke snapped back into the present and she was there on the beach again realizing that Lexa had asked a very direct question with little room to slide except for the topic they were both here for. Clarke tightened her grip on her microphone, “we do.” she spoke at last, her voice forming words strongly probably only by practice somehow, “notably you are an animal expert-”

“Enthusiast,” Lexa added in.

“Enthusiast,” Clarke added in because she wasn’t willing to be derailed and she was finally getting the ground back under her as the shock wore off, “and instances like this bring a-lot of questions. One of those questions frequently asked is why do whales do this?” Clarke motioned out toward the beach with a sweep of her arm and offered the microphone to Lexa.

Lexa was on her game instantly. It was like hitting an on switch on a topic she knew, “well there are any number of reasons honestly,” her tone was thoughtful, “among them are the two most common stipulations that sometimes -just like Humans and other animals do- whales can get lost. They actually have ears that are different than ours. They actually have ears that float inside their heads allowing them to tell what direction sounds are coming from under the water and sometimes something might go wrong with this,” she seemed to be searching for words other than scientific ones to use, “navigation system, so to speak, and before they know it they swim too close to shore and end up on a beach.”

“So they get lost?” Clarke asked in hopes of a simpler recap.

“They can get lost, yes.” Lexa confirmed, “or they can also get sick. Let’s say one gets sick and swims into shallow water for shelter and it ends up washed onto the beach.”

“So they get sick and can beach?”

“They can,” Lexa confirmed as well.  She made a thoughtful face before continuing, “but usually just instances of single animals. For instances where an entire Pod the likes of this one–” Lexa looked out at the whales and then at Clarke again and explained as though starting over, “whales have a strong sense of family, a strong sense of loyalty. If one gets sick or lost the entire pod is likely to swim after it or into shallow water with it and they will all end up on the beach.”

“Just like this?” Clarke asked.

Lexa nodded and agreed, “just like this.”

“So what do we do?”

“We have to be ready to respond quickly to save them,” Lexa answered. She glanced over at the whales. She looked at the cameras rolling. She looked at Clarke again and added, “as fast as we can.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and for the comments :)


	9. Ebb of Fates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke, getting tired of Jaha, finally says enough is enough and lets Lexa go. Lexa must figure out her numbers this season. What will she put on the air?

The interview was long over. The day itself nearly was gone.  With the news and excitement wearing off most of the crowds had left the closed off beach.  But Clarke had stayed.  She had stayed and was leaning against the hood of her car.  She told herself she was still here to watch how everything turned out so she could outline it in a follow-up.  

Lexa had also stayed.  She was down at the waterline right now, a slender silhouette outlined in the sunset with the rescue team, lovingly patting the last whale on its side in parting as they finally pulled it back into the sea.  Even from here, a good fifty feet away, on the hood of her car Clarke could hear the cheering start from the group.  She could see Lexa stepping back onto the beach in excitement. Even from here she could feel the Adventurer’s joy.

It was very different to watch her in action than to be interrupting it.  But with the last of the whales now safely out to sea the rescuers started rolling tarps and packing up and that was when, shoulder’s heaving in a soft and contented sigh, Lexa turned around and their eyes met at last over the distance of sand.  It was hard to believe they had first met in a place so different from this halfway around the world.

Lexa’s shoulders stiffened immediately.  Clarke felt her own tighten as a reaction.  She turned her gaze away and reached into her bag and took out a bottle of water.  She had to try and make this right.  She got down from the car in time to see Lexa look away from her, wipe the sand from her hands and start walking toward a parking-lot but also away from Clarke.

Before thinking about what she was doing Clarke ran after her.  She was tripping a little in the sand but finally caught up with her halfway, “got your favorite drink.” she offered the bottle of water and tried to get her to stop walking, “Lexa, wait.”

Lexa did stop suddenly. Which caused Clarke to stop walking as well. She looked at Clarke.  Clarke looked back.  Lexa’s braid had come out long ago. She was covered in sand and salt water and a sheen of sweat was on her skin from working hard all day long with the whales and in the sunset, she looked absolutely beautiful. Clarke felt her breath stop.  Insane. This was insane. She had started off way on the wrong foot with her to hope for more than awkward acquaintance status at best with her.

“Yes, Clarke?” Lexa asked.

Clarke’s eyes roamed the damp skin of Lexa’s throat. She had to tear her eyes away from it only to have them land on the tattoo on Lexa’s arm–

“Miss Griffin?” Lexa’s voice was direct.  It made Clarke snap to attention. It made her remember where she was.  It made her look up and saw green eyes studying her but there was no expression on Lexa’s face and for some strange reason it almost felt like rejection.  As Clarke was deciding what to do, to pursue or leave, Lexa asked, “did you need something?”

“I,” Clarke began. She cleared her voice and willed some strength into it. She offered the water, “I thought you might want this.”  She could feel the pause in the air that followed.  It hung there uncomfortably as Lexa’s eyes dropped from her face to the bottle of water.  Finally Lexa answered, “thank you.” she said. She reached and took it from Clarke and as she did Clarke was very careful that their fingers would not touch.  In fact after Lexa had the bottle of water she shoved her hands into her pockets and watched Lexa open the bottle up and start to drink from it.  She was staring, she knew.  But she had to say something to her.  There were so many things she wanted to tell her.  At last she settled on the biggest one, the truth, “I need to talk to you.”

Lexa slowed her drinking but didn’t stop as she glanced at Clarke in response.  Having not been chastised immediately Clarke went on, “about,” Clarke couldn’t believe she was about to admit the truth, “why I have been following you.”

Lexa stopped drinking the water, “Miss Griffin,” she glanced down at the bottle in her hand.  As though thinking about how to frame her words she screwed the cap back onto the bottle slowly, “have you not realized I don’t want to talk about this?”

Clarke was confused. She wrinkled her forehead, “what?” Lexa didn’t understand she realized, “wait, Lexa, that’s not-”

“No. No, you wait,” Lexa cut her off, “you have followed me halfway around the world,” she pointed west to the sun sinking into the sea in indication, “and you still haven’t got it in your head that I will not be doing this interview.” She dropped her arm and demanded, “when will you just stop, Clarke?”

“It’s not that,” Clarke protested back, “Lexa,” she said glancing west toward the sunset too because of Lexa having pointed that way before looking at Lexa again, “I know you’re angry-”

“Angry?” Lexa demanded, “tell me, Clarke, if I chased you all across the world and still insisted how happy would you be?  Would you do an interview?”

“I don’t want that anymore.”

Lexa pressed on, “your fundraiser is out of line as well.”

“My, my fundraiser?” It seemed Clarke could barely get a word in edgewise.  Besides, how did Lexa even know about that?  Lexa turned to leave but as she did Clarke grabbed her wrist, “wait! Lexa!”

Lexa turned abruptly having been yanked back like that. As she did she looked down at Clarke’s hand on her wrist and Clarke felt herself flinch inwardly from the look on the adventurer’s face when Lexa looked up and their eyes met. Clarke dropped Lexa’s wrist slowly and repeated, “I don’t want an interview, anymore, Lexa.”

Lexa held the water-bottle in the hand that Clarke had grabbed. With her other hand, she circled that wrist and rubbed it just a little as though Clarke had physically shocked her as much as the words had. She asked, “you don’t?”

“I do,” Clarke was honest, “but you don’t and,” Clarke paused a minute considering what to say.  She could blame Jaha, but Lexa didn’t seem like the type to want excuses even if they were true reasons.  So she settled saying something that went against the basics of everything she learned while working for Arkadia News. Instead, she thought about what she had learned when studying to be a doctor, “sometimes we have to take no for an answer.”

Lexa looked her over, “okay.” she said.

Clarke tried a faint smile, “okay.”

But Lexa went on, “that Fundraiser, I don’t want it. Give the funds to a charity-”

“But I did it because I messed up your–”

“I make my own money, Clarke.” At that moment Lexa’s phone started ringing in her pocket.  The ringtone was loud and obnoxious and startled Clarke.  Lexa sighed and rubbed her forehead but didn’t answer the phone yet.

“We almost have enough to send you back to the Philippines.”

“Give it to people who need it,” Lexa said again. She glanced down at the ringing phone and looked at Clarke, “that is Anya. I have to go,” she put the water bottle back into Clarke’s hands, “do not litter. Goodbye, Clarke.”

Lexa turned and left her standing there and it felt wrong for some reason to Clarke. But all she could do was stay right where she was and watch as Lexa got smaller and smaller and faded into the sunset.  Clarke had no other plan. But Jaha had Lexa in a cage and Lexa didn’t even know.  And even if it did feel wrong to just stay standing where she was, it had to be right to just let Lexa walk away - to open the cage and just let her go.

And maybe she would never have to know.

–==–

It was well after dark by the time Lexa made it back to the marina. It had been a very long day.  Boats bobbed quietly along the wooden boardwalk. On the phone, Anya said hers had been towed.  But it was still there, secured in its place where she had left it that morning.

Anya probably just wanted her to come home.  Her sister had strange ways of doing things.

Lexa boarded her boat. Opened the hatch, went below deck and locked the hatch behind her. It was dark down here. It didn’t bother her. She knew each step on the short narrow stairs as she made her way down them. Reaching the bottom she hung her keys on their hook and made her way through the small space to the table. Her hands found the cold plastic of her laptop first and then the battery operated lantern near it. Dim gold light flooded the room when she turned the lantern on.

Lexa took her camera out of her jacket pocket. Carefully she set it on the table. Staring at it she shed her jacket and tossed it onto her bed before collapsing into one of the two plastic chairs.

She was dead tired.  She spent long days out in the field and exhaustion couldn’t touch her but it wasn’t often she spent all day under a burning sun. Sighing out, Lexa rubbed her eyes in frustration at the contents of the camera staring at her in the center of her table. She didn’t know what to do. She had whales on it.  But it wasn’t the whales that were the problem. Lexa scrambled and sat upright in her chair.  She reached for her camera and turned it over in her hands.

The Mt. Weather logo gleamed at her silver in the light from her lantern. It was a nervous habit of hers but she turned the camera over again and again in her hands.  No, the whales were not the problem.

She had Clarke Griffin in there as well.

Lexa sighed in defeat at finding herself thinking of the blonde reporter. Reporters were definitely not her favorite people. Lexa set the camera down and pushed it slowly to the other side of the table.  Once on the opposite edge from her, she glared at it uselessly as though it had done something wrong.

Her social media account, Anya had said, had come alive with Clarke’s news broadcast about the whales. People were re-posting it all over facebook, Tumblr, Twitter and any other social media out there.  

There was no doubt.

Her viewers wanted more of Clarke.  Anya had said it best, they were mostly just excited she brought someone onto the show. It just so happened that it happened by accident, and it just so happened to be Clarke Griffin.

Lexa moved her gaze from her camera to her laptop. She stared at it for just a minute before she pulled it forward across the table with one hand and turned it on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> may we meet again at my [Tumblr](https://adistantstarblog.tumblr.com/) \- adistantstarblog
> 
> Thank you for reading


	10. Cock-a-Leekie Soup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Old Mother Hubbard Syndrome is a thing, and someone got away from Mt. Weather.

Carl Emerson sat on a couch in the dark in a basement level apartment. Coffee stains and old paperwork filled the coffee table in front of him and he was actively shoveling yesterday’s take-out into his mouth.

The apartment wasn’t his. Neither was the take-out. And he didn’t really care that they weren’t either. Lunch was lunch and it was too bad if its owner had walked off and left it.  The apartment itself was being rented by said owner, some girl he started recently to associate with because of shared interests.

The doorbell rang, but only once, probably only enough to validate having rung it before the door opened up and said girl walked in. Her hair was stringy.  Her clothes too large. She had a folded up laptop with her, “Hey Carl.”

“Echo.” he stated, looking up at her he ate more of the take out and put his boot up on the coffee table, “what are you doing here?”

“I rent this place.” she pointed out to him.

He snorted, “right. But you’re supposed to stay away,” he paused and ate more food, letting his eyes slide over his associate trying to read her body language but failing.  Because she was hiding something, that much he could tell, “unless you have something.” he added.

“I think I do.” Echo told him. Without asking then she came around the side of the table, sweeping his boot off of it as she did, sat down on the couch and plunked her laptop onto the table where his boot had been. This made him had to sit up, “what? What do you have?”

With a smirk at him, Echo turned her laptop on, “let it load.” she said to him. He pulled in a breath and refused to acknowledge the little bit of excitement that was working its way through his otherwise pitiful mood; trapped here in an old apartment basement …unable to go outside, unable to do anything because of …reasons.

The computer had loaded.

He watched as Echo sat forward at the edge of the couch and typed a web address into the URL bar. He read what she was typing and looked at her as though she’d lost her mind, “Lexa Wood’s YouTube? Who the hell is that?” he asked, that little bit of excitement he had felt in his stomach started to melt away with the acid and the day old take out.

“Wait on it,” Echo told him as she selected a video and it started playing.  Echo sat back on the couch and watched the video on the screen, “Just wait on it…”

The girl on the screen was standing on a shoreline and talking, “we travel alot. We go around the world alot and so I thought today we would do something a little bit different as it has come to my attention recently that we should probably discuss safety every so often. We’re going to start out with water and you guys have all been asking for her so here we go.  What not to do as demonstrated by, Clarke Griffin.”

Emerson spit take-out everywhere, “that’s Clarke Griffin!” He reached forward and grabbed the sides of the laptop screen as a blonde girl in the video fell off a boat and into the river, staring at it closer than he needed to as Lexa Woods plunged after her into the water.

“It is,” Echo smirked, “Clarke Griffin.” she shrugged, “didn’t I say to wait for it?”

“Well what…” he motioned at the screen.  The video in the image was lopsided now and focused on a wet boat floor more than anything else.  Over the sound of the water sucking at the sides of the boat off screen, he heard the Woods girl shouting,  _ _“there are Crocodiles in this river!  And other things that could… Clarke! Clarke!”__

Emerson looked away from the lopsided camera image and studied Echo for a second. She looked smug, too smug, as though she was expecting something.  So she found Clarke? He could have found her. Clarke was on the nightly news but there was no way for him to get close, “so what do you expect me to do with it?” he asked her.

She lifted an eyebrow at him, “Lexa Woods uploaded this,” she motioned to the video and looked at him again, “Griffin has been following her around.”

“And if we have Woods,” it came to him more slowly than he liked, “we have Clarke Griffin.” he had to admit, he liked where this was going.  He liked the way Echo’s mind worked.  He snorted.  He sat back and looked at the screen a second more.  He heard splashing.  He heard the Woods girl groaning off screen as though it was taking all her might to do whatever she was doing.  Which couldn’t be much, he smirked to himself, because just from this video Woods looked like such a fragile little thing, “you know…” he said looking over at Echo, “I am so glad I got you that position at Polaris T.V. years ago.”

Echo just snorted and rolled her eyes at him, “you only wanted an inside man.”

“Cage did,” Emerson agreed, “but maybe so.”  Folding his arms, he sat back with a smirk and watched the events of the video unfold. Lexa Woods crashed back-first onto the floor of the boat.  A soaked Clarke Griffin landed on top of her.

–==–

They had only a can of peas, a half a box of cereal and two chocolate bars at home.  They didn’t go well together.  And no matter how much she tried to tell herself she could live on chocolate for a night, Clarke still ended up racing to the grocery store an hour before they closed because the idea of having inspiration strike and staying up all night to paint something and not having anything to eat but peas was not a very good one.  The wheel on her cart squeaked and stuck a little as she pushed it down the soup aisle reading off flavors of cans likely strategically placed right at eye level, “Mexican Chicken Lime, Toasted Orzo Chicken, Creamy Chicken Chowder, Chicken and Ricotta Meatballs in broth…”

Overhead, the store’s radio was on.  The local news announcements in the background were not quite muffled enough to be white noise, _ _“it does seem as though, despite earlier reports, Nia will remain in the tropical storm category as she indeed sweeps further out to sea–”__

Harper would not be happy.  She’d been wanting her first real hurricane as a ‘rookie’ meteorologist, something about it being an initiation or right of passage thing for meteorologists everywhere to report their first big storm story, “Chicken Tortilla Soup, ” Clarke read on. Stopping in the isle in sudden irritation she wrinkled her forehead, “whatever happened to plain Chicken Soup?” she demanded of no one.  Her phone rang.  She grabbed a can of soup from the shelf with one hand, answered her phone and put it to her ear with the other hand, “Hello?” she read off the label of the can in her hand, “Cock-a-Leekie.”

There was a long, uncomfortable pause on the other end of the phone.  Enough to prompt Clarke to ask, “Hello? Raven?”

Finally, Raven’s voice blurted into her ear,  _ _“cock-a… cock-a-what?”__

Clarke blushed furiously instantly, squeezing her eyes shut in embarrassing she also squeezed the can of soup harder in her hand, “it’s a soup, Raven!” she clarified, shaking the can as she opened her eyes, “cock-a-leekie!” at that exact moment an old woman wobbled her way into the aisle clutching a shopping hand-basket. The woman dropped the basket and left the isle more quickly than Clarke would have thought she could have. Clarke squeezed her eyes shut again and harmlessly hit the can of soup causing the ruckus against her forehead a couple of times.  

 _ _“Clarke?”__  Raven’s voice over her phone asked.

Clarke pulled in a deep breath.

__“Clarke, you there?”_ _

Clarke opened her eyes and looked at the label on the soup at last, “chicken, white wine, celery, carrots,” she started reading off the ingredients listed, “garlic, leek, …prunes?” she made a face and set the can down on the shelf, “who the hell would put prunes in a soup?”

 _ _“I have no idea,”__  Raven answered her.

“Oh, there are other things in it too.” Clarke told her.  She decided it was best to leave the soup aisle. Without soup. She grabbed her cart and pushed it faster, turning into the next aisle over which thankfully was canned vegetables and fruits.

 _ _“So, you’re at the store?”__  Raven finally asked.

“Yeah.”

__“Old Mother Hubbard syndrome?”_ _

Clarke grabbed a can of peaches from the shelf and tossed them into the cart. They landed on the bread and squished one end of it, “we don’t even have a dog, Raven.” She sighed. She picked up a can of black-eyed peas and put them into the cart as well, “I am guessing this isn’t a call just to say ‘hi, Clarke, I miss you? You’re my best friend ever?  Or even, ‘Griff get us some food or beer’?”

 _ _“Of course it is,”__  Raven said back happily, “all those things. Especially the beer part.  But, you’re right. There is something else.”

She stopped in the aisle reaching for a can of crushed tomatoes, “what?” There was amusement in Raven’s voice now that Clarke was just picking up on for some reason.  She sounded downright cocky and as though she knew a secret, “what, Raven?”

 _ _“So that girl you’re following around?”__  Raven asked.  _ _“Lexa Woods? The hot adventurer girl?”__

Lexa Woods. The hot adventurer girl. As though Clarke needed reminding. The one whom loved whales and animals and had saved her life. Lexa’s pretty face flashed into Clarke’s mind.  Standing there in the aisle in the store Clarke’s stomach started to do those annoying little flips it did these days each time she thought of Lexa or heard her name–

__“Clarke, are you there?”_ _

Even when angry Lexa was beautiful. Clarke remembered how on the beach that day she had wet her perfect lips with her little pink tongue. Clarke had barely been able to hand her the water.

__“Griffin!”_ _

Clarke snapped out of it so quickly she lost balance and had to grab onto her cart. She was back in the aisle, back in the store.  Over the speakers, a voice was announcing,  _ _“the store will be closing in five minutes. Please make your final purchases and proceed to the front checkout lanes.”__ Clarke looked in her basket. She still needed milk and eggs and now beer. She had to hurry. She started rolling the cart quickly as she could to get those last things. It hit her that Raven had been saying something and Clarke had no idea what. She lied, “sorry, I was distracted by the announcement. What were you saying?”

 _ _“I was saying,”__  Raven repeated over the phone,  _ _“your girl Lexa?”__

“She’s not mine.” Clarke heard herself argue, hoping that she didn’t sound as defensive about it as she thought she did.

But even over the phone, Clarke could practically hear Raven smirk again. She could practically see her folding her arms,  _ _“no?”__

“No.”

__“Well anyway, wait ‘til you see what she did.”_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey thanks for reading. More of my works can be reached through [here](https://adistantstarblog.tumblr.com/).


	11. The Road to Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Clarke falls out of the sky, Lexa is furious –especially when other things come to head…

Inside the diving cage, Lexa peered through her mask into blue ocean deeps around her one last time that day. The creature she was searching for was nowhere to be seen, and right on time, the chain attached to the cage started cranking her up from the water.  She grabbed a few shots with her camera of undersea life on her way up and as the cage broke the surface and the chain stopped cranking she pulled off her mask and unlocked the cage door from the inside and climbed out of it and onto the boat. In the fading evening light she dropped her mask onto the deck and removed and lowered her oxygen tank. Knowing her camera was still rolling in her other hand she started to speak, “Well, we did not find one today but tomorrow we can try again–” she reached for the zipper of her wet-suit. But as she did the faint noise of helicopter blades met her ears that had heard nothing else but her own voice and ocean waves for two days. The sound grew louder and made her look up.

The helicopter was white and cut into her vision before stopping overhead. Lexa’s hand stilled on her zipper as a figure in khaki and bright orange jumped from it and after falling several feet through the blue sky a parachute opened up.

The helicopter spun away and her limbs went cold as ice as the realization hit that the diver was aiming for her boat and she could only stare in shock as the person landed with a loud and painful crash onto the decking.  The white parachute piled down on top of them, making their grunts and groans louder, and as they flopped around a little under it Lexa finally snapped out of it and quietly unbuttoned the sheath at her belt and even more calmly drew her diving knife.  

The person stood at last looking like a Halloween sheet-ghost, “Lexa?”

“Clarke!” Anger spilled into Lexa with such force she felt every nerve ending burn with it. She stormed across the wooden deck and grabbed a hold of the struggling girl. Lexa shouted at her, “Stop moving!”

Clarke stilled. Quick as she could Lexa slashed across the chute, cutting nylon and strings, not caring who’s property it was, her own had finally been invaded. She shoved Clarke away from her the minute she had the top half of her body free and Lexa stepped back several steps to glare at her while she struggled out of the rest of the chute and struggled with a backpack on her back checking it was still there.

Clarke turned, “Lexa I–”

“Stop!” Lexa cut her off. She felt her hand flexing on her knife so she shoved it into its holster promptly, “this is grade A stalkery! Don’t you get that??”

Clarke’s face went ashen.

“I am getting a restraining order,” she said closing the distance on the deck between them until she was two inches from Clarke’s face, “you said you would stop!”  

“I have,” Clarke whispered. Then she took a breath and looked at Lexa and said more firmly, “I know what this looks like. I am not here to question you. I’m here to ..to save you.”

“To save me?? You _fell out of the sky_ , Clarke!” Lexa countered, “you fell out of the sky and landed on _my_ boat!” she glared up at the sky and she glared back at Clarke.

“I need your camera,” Clarke spat out. She looked at it. She looked at Lexa. She shook her head softly but her eyes were wet and her jaw was locked and her hands were balled at her sides, “then you will never see me again.”

“Get off my boat!” Lexa was too furious to listen.

“And go where?!” Quick as a flash before Lexa could stop her Clarke reached out and grabbed her camera from her where she had it in a white knuckled grip. Lexa tried to grab it back but Clarke was faster and moved out of her way, “give that back!” Lexa tried to grab it again but Clarke only raced to the other side of the deck.  As she did she turned the camera over in her hands, “this thing waterproof?”

Lexa blinked, “what …yes!” she didn’t know why Clarke would ask that. They were out on the ocean, of course it was waterproof.

“Good,” Clarke answered, she turned with the camera toward the rail of the boat and pulled her arm back as far as she could. Lexa panicked. She tried to stop her. She tried to grab her hand.  And as her precious camera flew from it she chased after it trying to grab it out of the air only to be stopped by the rail of her boat slamming into her stomach as with a last glitter and shine at her, as though with a parting wink, her camera dropped into the ocean.

Lexa stared at that spot, unable to move. Unable to breathe. Unable to do anything because everything inside of her was screaming–

“Lexa?” she heard the zipper on a backpack open behind her. She didn’t care. Her mouth opened a little finally and she felt that hated feeling of her eyes stinging as a whisper left her lips, “you ruined everything.”

“Do you really think that I would be as cruel as to throw your camera into the sea for no reason?” Clarke’s voice was firmer now, and calm.

She still couldn’t look at her. Lexa gripped the rail until her knuckles went white, “you ruined _everything_ , Clarke! I can never get a camera like that in my life!”

“Lexa, turn around.”

Lexa whipped around, but only because she was about to anyway. The tension in her body had coiled too much to just stay still. Clarke sat on the deck with her backpack open and a little red drone camera in front of her, control hand-held device in hand. With a touch, Clarke activated it and the little red drone lifted off the deck with a light buzz to hover about three feet in the air. Clarke stood up, “it’s for you.”

“That’s…” Lexa’s voice was quieter than she’d like as she stared at it, “that’s the Infinity 503. You can take aerial video from this. It can also go under water. You can–” she reached and grabbed it out of the air and flipped the little camera over with excitement, “wait, what?” she let it go and it hovered more as she whirled on Clarke, “this isn’t going to fix this!”

“Yes, it can. But not like you think.“

“I can’t accept this!”

“I just threw your last one overboard, into the ocean!” Clarke pointed out toward the rolling water of the sea, “I think you can! This one is safe!” she was breathing through frustrated clenched teeth, “with this one people can’t ..people can’t …stalk you anymore.” the last words trailed off softly, sadly.

“What?” Lexa asked under her breath.  She felt a prickle of something, a mix of nerves and dread start across her skin.

“Oh yeah,” Clarke added, “if you want it back,” she glared the direction she threw the camera again before continuing on in frustration, “we can still go get it. How do you think I’ve been able to find you?” she demanded, “how …Lexa?”

“I don’t..” Lexa began slowly, she rubbed her arms and watched Clarke very warily. Had someone been spying on her? “I don’t understand.”

Clarke stared at her a second. She squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her forehead before finally sinking to the boat deck, “come..” she said, motioning over, “come here.”

Lexa didn’t move at first. Not until Clarke had tugged a tablet out of her backpack and turned it on. She looked up at Lexa again in question and only then did Lexa move across the small space between them to sit on the deck by her. She said nothing as she flipped through screens before landing on a rotating grid globe of the Earth. There was a small flashing red dot in the sea as it spun. Clarke tapped it and the map folded out and zoomed in on that dot in the ocean. Lexa glanced over at Clarke in horrified shock even before the blonde closed her eyes and admitted, “that is your camera.” She cleared her throat and added, “this is how I’ve been finding you. Mt. Weather put a gps in that camera before they gave it to you.”

Lexa shoved to her feet, “you’ve been tracking me this whole time?” she demanded, her temper rose like a storm, “you’ve been spying on me this whole–!”

“Lexa, I’m sorry!” Clarke stood up too, “it was shitty of me! I’ll never–”

“No, Clarke, no!” she’d never felt so violated, “how long has this been happening?” Lexa demanded, her voice a high squeak because she could barely even breathe or stand there without her body shaking and her eyes swimming in humiliation, in bewilderment, in rage. With so many mixed feelings slamming down on her she demanded one more time, “how long?!”

“A few months,” Clarke whispered, closing her eyes briefly before looking up at her.

Lexa choked, “months.” this shit had been happening for months? She slid her glance over to the little red camera, “take your damn camera, Clarke!”

Breath squeezing in and out of Clarke’s lungs, it seemed she decided not to argue with her and she plucked the camera out of the air and put it into her bag with it’s remote, "I just wanted to help.”

“Help?” Lexa glared at Clarke, “you are lucky I don’t throw. you. off. this. boat!” she snarled through clenched teeth.

“I’ll stay out of your way.” Clarke said quickly, “I have blankets and my own food and water. I meant when I said after this you’d never see me again.”

Lexa finally started breathing again, a deep, single breath slid into her lungs. As it did some of her utter rage settled into her gut causing her to be no less angry but perhaps more calm, “why did you do this? Why did you agree to do this?”

Clarke kept her eyes centered on Lexa’s face. At least she could look her in the eye when admitting she was wrong and truly Lexa was surprised at that. Clarke admitted, “I didn’t have a choice.”

Lexa hadn’t been expecting those words to come out of Clarke’s lips. It didn’t soften anything but it did prompt her to narrow her eyes and ask another question, “and you do now?”

“No,” Clarke admitted. A few seconds ticked past where they stared at each other and Lexa wasn’t about to say a word yet.  Clarke went on, “but all you wanted was to show people the beautiful animals and places in this world. You didn’t do anything to deserve this shit,” she finally lowered her eyes a little bit, “and you deserve better than that.”

More seconds ticked past. In the air Lexa actually heard them and then she realized it was so quiet she could hear them from the watch on Clarke’s wrist. Finally, Lexa stepped into Clarke’s space. She spoke lowly enunciating each word, “it’s going to take two days to get back to land,” she looked the direction of the shore before looking back at Clarke, “I hope you brought enough water and food.”

Clarke’s lips parted slightly in reaction to these words as she looked up. Lexa only let her eyes move up and down her one more time, before turning away and stalking away across the deck from her. She would not retrieve the camera. She would not be stalked. Lexa could feel Clarke’s eyes on her from where she had moved against the bulkhead to sit on the far side of the boat.  

She could ignore her for two days.

It was time to turn around and go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is more of this work and other works to be found through my [tumblr](https://adistantstarblog.tumblr.com/). 
> 
> Thank you for reading.


	12. Nia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caught in the storm at sea, Lexa and Clarke must put aside their differences if they are going to escape Nia alive..

It was the middle of the night.

One second she had been curled up and sleeping soundly in soft white furs, the next second the heave of her boat tugged at Lexa’s consciousness. But she wasn’t fully wide awake until she was flung from her bed and across the dark cabin.  On instinct Lexa threw an hand out to stop herself and screamed in pain as she felt the bones of her wrist crunch when that hand slammed first against the bulkhead before the rest of her body. She fell to the floor as under her as boat continued to bounce and spin like a cork.  Storms and hard rain and wind battered it outside. Dizzy with pain Lexa only had one thought on her mind.

_Clarke._

She fought the urge to pass out that the pain in her wrist caused. Even when her vision was swimming in front of her. Using her good hand Lexa got to wobbly legs. It was a struggle to keep balance on the heaving floor as she ran up the stairs and released the latch on the hatch.  The wind ripped it wide open the minute she did and torrents of rain hit her face so hard it stung as she surged out onto the heaving deck, “Clarke!” Lexa grabbed a rail as wind tried to rip her from the deck. She tried to peer through the curtain of rain to the spot where Clarke had set up her camp. But the rain was a hard white curtain between. She couldn’t see her.

Lexa pulled herself forward by the rail through the storm.  A wave washed up hitting her.  She spat and coughed and kept going.  She was halfway there, “Clarke!” she shouted again.  But the wind swallowed her cries. She could see the spot now, blankets strewn and soaked and flat on the wet deck, but Clarke was not there.

Panic slammed through her body. Her thoughts started screaming that Clarke had washed over-board. Gripping the rail harder Lexa looked for her frantically anywhere else on the deck, “Clarke!!” she tried shouting again but she could barely hear her own shouts over the wind.  Lexa pulled herself forward a little more. The blankets washed overboard.

Lexa stood gripping the rail in her good hand watching them go.  She knew the girl couldn’t swim and she’d left her out here–

Fingers grabbed her shoulder tightly.

Lexa jumped a mile, losing her grip for a minute as she did.  The fingers grabbed faster at her clothing keeping her in place and she turned and found Clarke, gripping her, soaked to the bone, and on her hands and knees, backpack on, orange life vest on, from the slightly raised platform above through the opened door of the little room that housed the boat’s small bridge. Rain dripped down Clarke’s blonde hair and face.

“Clarke…” the name left Lexa’s lips in relief as Clarke grabbed on harder and started pulling her up to her.  Lexa ground her teeth and pulled her arm back as Clarke tried to grab her crushed wrist. Instead she slapped her other hand forward and locked it around Clarke’s wrist.  Clarke pulled. Lexa scrambled up the side of the platform with her bare feet. The boat jolted hard. A wave washed over them and Lexa lost her footing and for a minute she was sure it was going to sweep her out to sea. But Clarke’s hand tightened on her wrist and pulled hard, pulling her forward and onto the floor in the small room that served as the boat’s bridge.

She was coughing up water. She was heaving air in and out of her lungs. Clarke was on her knees next to her and rubbing at her back, “are you okay?! Lexa?!”

”Listen,” Lexa coughed out more water and got to her knees and gripped Clarke’s shoulder in her good hand, “we have to stop this boat spinning! You are going to have to do exactly what I tell you to! I am going to need your help!”

“Lexa ..I..” Clarke shouted back, about to protest.  But then her eyes dropped to the purple and black mass of swelling that had become of Lexa’s wrist as she held it to her chest. There was tons of fear, but there was even more determination in Clarke blue eyes as she looked at Lexa again, “okay…” she nodded, “okay.”

It was a familiar conversation but Lexa didn’t have time for that. She shuffled back the best she could and leaned her back against a wall, “go to the console. You need to turn on the engines.”

Clarke scrambled up and wobbled forward on the lurching floor of the bridge. It made Lexa’s back hit the metal wall and the jolting went right to her wrist.  She growled in pain a little and ground her teeth together to speak, “the keys Clarke!”

Clarke gripped onto the console for balance and found the keys and turned them. She tried again but nothing happened, “Lexa!” she called back over her shoulder, “Lexa! It won’t start!”

Lexa squeezed her eyes shut briefly as she registered something was wrong with the engine. She struggled to her feet and moved to the console, “we’re going to have to drop a sea anchor!” she shouted over the noise.

“A what??” Clarke shouted back looking at her.

Lexa looked at the controls. With her good hand she slammed the release, “sea anchor!” she shouted again looking out toward the bow as the line dropped into the heaving waves. She was grinding her teeth together as she felt the boat jolt when the anchor hit bottom, “grab the wheel, Clarke!” she shouted, “this will take both hands!”

Setting her jaw Clarke grabbed the wheel in both hands.

“You have to turn the bow into the waves! That’s the front of the boat! If you don’t, we will be swamped easier!” Lexa shouted at her. But the look in Clarke’s eyes said she couldn’t hear her.  Lexa moved into her space, worked her good arm around Clarke, grabbed the wheel with her and fought to turn it.  Clarke seemed to get the idea and started to try and turn it with her.  But the pull of the water was taking everything they had in them and still the stern of the boat was turning slowly into the waves.

“Try harder!” Lexa shouted.

“I’m doing the best I can!” Clarke shouted back to her.  And Lexa knew she was. Clarke’s knuckles, like her own, where white bone was showing through wet skin.

“Again, Clarke!” Lexa ground out through her teeth as her good hand wobbled on the wheel. She moved her other arm forward and pushed her other hand to it as well despite the pain and no matter how she tried she couldn’t close her hand or move it or anything as though it wasn’t even attached to her body. The boat shifted as a huge wave washed over them, gushing into the bridge room and nearly toppling them both but Lexa pushed her body into Clarke’s to brace them to the wheel, “try the engine again!” Wet blonde hair was plastered with hers to her face. Clarke was spitting out water, her hands shaking to hold the wheel with Lexa’s one hand.

_Nia._

It hit Lexa like the waves were. This was Nia. Nia was supposed to be further out at sea. But if that engine didn’t work Nia was going to kill them both.

She watched one of Clarke’s hands reach for the keys and slip and slide on them. Clarke cursed, “shit!” and her body jolted Lexa’s each time she moved to turn the keys.  Lexa knew it wasn’t going to start. The more Clarke scrambled desperately with trying to get it to the more desperately Lexa was looking around the little bridge cabin.  Another wave slammed onto them, stealing her breath and making her legs go out from under her.  She hauled herself forward toward the wheel under the water with one hand and trapped Clarke hard as she could between it and herself until the wave subsided. Spitting out water and gasping for breath Lexa released another switch dropping the regular anchor as well, “that’s it!” she shouted at Clarke who was still struggling with the keys, “that’s all we can—”

The vibrations jolted her legs as Lexa felt the engine roar to life under them.  Clarke was breathing hard and glancing back at her, with a wide relieved grin and despite herself and the storm Lexa couldn’t help but start laughing out of relief.  She grabbed onto the wheel with Clarke, it was easier to turn now with power and inch by inch they started to turn it and very slowly the bow of the boat started to turn to face into the waves–

She wasn’t expecting the explosion that shook the boat, that shook her, that sent the deck lifting high into the air at a crazy tilt before slamming back down hard onto the ocean surface before the deck tilted up again and sank again then tilted again. The noise was unbearable. Lexa lost her grip and traction first and slid back out of the bridge house to have her back slam into a rail outside. Fires from the explosion sprang to life all around her being put out just as fast by the torrents of rain Nia was spitting on them. Clarke landed on Lexa a second later.  What was left of her home was bobbing around, being batted by angry black waves like a cork. And as the deck wobbled and creaked and started to be sucked under the water it hit Lexa it was actually going to sink. She looked across at Clarke, “we have to get off this boat!”

“We have to get off this!–” Clarke started shouting. But her words were cut off as she realised they were yelling the same thing. They clung to the rail in the storm. They stared at each other in desperation through rain, through steam.. and tried to get better footing as the boat continued to sink. Lexa looked aft – but that half of the boat was already being sucked under waves of water splashing across it. She looked forward toward the bow of the boat that was now lifted at moderate incline into the air. She ripped her gaze back to Clarke, “at the halfway point!” she shouted at the top of her lungs over the storm.  Lexa motioning up the deck with her chin toward the bow and tried to get a better grip with her hand, “there is a locker in the floor! There is a raft in that locker, Clarke! Can you hear me?!” she demanded.

Clarke was nodding, “yes ..yes…” she was blinking fast and breathing through her mouth as she glanced halfway the tilting deck.

Lexa stared into her eyes, “we have to get to that raft!” she shouted, “when we do. You have to get it out, pull the pin and throw it over the side! It will inflate! We are going to have to jump in after it! Alright?” She shouted repeating herself to drive this point home, “we have to jump!”

“Okay!” Clarke nodded at her, “we have to jump!” but her hands were white on the rail. The water was pulling the boat down faster now.

“I’m not going to let you drown, Clarke!” Lexa shouted to her. And Clarke gave a scarce nod. But they couldn’t wait any longer.  Lexa let go first. Clarke did a second later. They grabbed hands and struggled to keep footing as they ran up the tilted deck of the boat. At the halfway point they reached the locker.  Its lip was slightly raised from the floor. Clarke grabbed the rail with one hand. Lexa grabbed the rail with the only hand she could use. Clarke was on her knees struggling with the latch on the locker with her other hand.  It sprung open and through the rain Lexa could see the large, folded, bright orange heavy duty raft inside with packed bags of supplies. Clarke tugged it out with some effort because of the size of it and the rain and the angle of the boat. She pulled the pin. The raft started to inflate and Clarke tossed it over the side, “go!” she shouted at Lexa.

“This is my boat!” Lexa was stubborn, she looped a leg around the rail and grabbed one of the packs and then another and slid the over her shoulder, “you first!”

“Same time!” Clarke argued. Frustrated Lexa grabbed the blonde by the hand, climbed onto the wobbling rail and jumped over the side, pulling Clarke over the side with her.  As they hit the water and went under she felt Clarke’s hand let go of hers.  In a panic Lexa kicked to the surface and started quickly looking around the bouncing waves, “Clarke!” she shouted at the top of her lungs.  A wave splashed over her head and pushed her under.  Lexa struggled to the surface, “Clarke!” she shouted again.

Right when she was sure Clarke was drowning and she couldn’t find her, the blonde broke to the surface, spitting water out of her lungs as she did.  She had a life vest on.  For the first time, it really hit Lexa that Clarke had actually been wearing the thing the whole time. Relief like the tides themselves spilled onto Lexa as she swam to Clarke with one hand and grabbed her, “are you alright?!” Lexa shouted the question.

“Fine!” Clarke shouted.  Clarke was unsuccessfully trying to swim toward the lifeboat bobbing near them. Lexa struggled to it and pulled it back to where Clarke was and helped her crawl over the orange side and tumble in.  Lexa climbed into it after her and tumbled into the plastic raft as well.  She pushed to sit up. She looked quickly at Clarke. Clarke looked quickly at her. In the rain blue eyes locked green and held.

They were okay.

Behind them her boat was on fire as it sank into the ocean. Lexa felt her lips part as she looked past Clarke and watched the last of it go under, then her mouth as she tried to get a breath as what just happened to them hit her.  She looked down at the purple lump of flesh that was what was left of her wrist.  It was numb and she knew it should be hurting.

“Lexa…” Clarke spoke up first. But Lexa felt dizzy, “Clarke…” she tried to shake it off. She pulled in a deep breath and blinked a little. But it wasn’t working, “I…”

“Hey?” Clarke reached to try and steady her.  But as angry waves carried their little raft out alone into the night – Lexa passed out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everybody. I hoped you like the chapter. For more 'WILD EARTH' or to follow me on Tumblr for other this and other works click [HERE](https://adistantstarblog.tumblr.com/wildearth). 
> 
> If you liked this fic you might like my other modern Clexa AU's - [Flygirl](http://archiveofourown.org/works/13494204/chapters/30945950#main) (note: Flygirl is explicit/nsfw) or my Rockstar Lexa AU '[Lullaby of the Giant Five](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12791856/chapters/29192634)'. Or for those of you interested in Canon Fics, you might like one of my other works - ['All Blood is Red](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5434646/chapters/12558758)' (please note this fic updates slowly) (also, its huge).
> 
> Kudos are appricated if you liked it. Thanks for reading.


	13. Castaway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alone in a little raft in a storm in the middle of the ocean, Clarke has to keep it together and remember her medical training for Lexa.

The little boat bounced up and down on the waves, a little orange dot bobbing in angry, open water. Clarke’s blonde hair stuck to her face in the rain. She saw Lexa faint. She didn’t know what was wrong with her. She had to find out. But it was too dark to see a thing so she was digging frantically through the bag Lexa had brought along. 

Her own wouldn’t have a flashlight. 

But Lexa’s would. 

There were blankets and food packs and a knife in a sheath and alot of other things she couldn’t identify by touch. But she didn’t want to dump the bag out on the chance of stuff washing overboard in the tossing and bumping. The next wave they went up actually toppled Clarke onto her side. Sitting up again she kept digging and found what she was looking for. Clarke yanked the flashlight out and turned it on, “Lexa!” she shouted as the blinding light flooded into her own face. Clarke winced and yanked the light away from her eyes. With the light in one hand and a first aid kit in a white knuckled grip that matched the same force as the fear that gripped her chest, Clarke pointed the light at Lexa and crawled on wobbly hands and knees to where she lay. 

The rise and fall of Lexa’s chest said she was still breathing and relief hit Clarke like the hard rain. She passed the beam of light from the flashlight over Lexa’s body slowly and swallowed with some difficulty when it fell on her right wrist. It was swollen at least three times its normal size and was a terrible shade of purple. 

The fear Clarke felt a minute ago came flooding back at the sight - Lexa could to into shock, if she wasn’t in shock already. Not knowing if she was or not, she knew chances were high considering the injury and what they had been through and she still had to treat for shock first. 

Clarke put the light down and let go of the case as well. Squeezing in closer she put an arm under Lexa’s legs and another under her shoulders and carefully lifted her–

“–arrrhhh. Arrrghh… uhhh…” Lexa’s eyes slid open and slid closed, slid open and slid closed and her teeth ground together as snarls and growls left her lips unbidden. She tried to struggle with everything she had. Clarke could tell but all her body could manage was a few weak jerks with her good arm flopping around trying to reach her broken wrist.

“Its okay,” Clarke soothed, “its okay….” 

“Uhhhhh!…” Lexa went limp again. Clarke panicked thinking she died and dropped her head to the girl’s chest and the steady pound of Lexa’s heart met her ear. Clarke lifted her head. With a sigh of relief she very carefully lifted Lexa again and turned her around so her head was where her feet had been. A wave tossed them. Clarke threw herself over Lexa’s prone body, grabbing onto the flashlight and first aid kit as she did. When the wave dropped them onto the water she carefully sat back. Set the things down again and carefully got one of Lexa’s feet up onto the edge of the raft, “elevate twelve inches,” she said to herself, “that’s twelve.” She got the other foot up as well. Looking at Lexa’s feet it hit her suddenly that Lexa only had socks on - wet socks. She was also only wearing pajama shorts and a top, “deal with the wrist..” Clarke instructed herself. Clothes could come next. She had to take one step at a time, “deal with the wrist..”

Sitting back down on her knees near Lexa she grabbed the light again and pointed it at Lexa’s wrist laying draped delicately over her chest. Clarke wasn’t a doctor. She was only -had only- been a medical student and she could still tell by sight of the injury that it was a compound fracture. Taking a deep breath and holding that air in her lungs, she reached to open the first aid box at the same time she very gently slid her other hand under the broken bones–

Lexa’s eyes shot open. They fell shut but she started screaming and twitching as though wanting to fight but not having the strength to. Clarke jumped back quickly, “its okay!” she called. Her eyes watered though. She really wished she had serious pain killers. Because this was going to hurt - alot. Watching Lexa’s screams stop and her eyes flutter closed again until long lashes were laying on wet cheeks and short breaths were escaping through perfect lips Clarke knew it was best to get it over with. As the boat suddenly bobbed up and down a swell faster than it had she felt herself thrown forward and caught herself on her arms before she collapsed on Lexa. But she was looking right into Lexa’s face. She was looking at those closed eyes. Rain wet her back, “Lexa?” she asked.

With a groan leaving her lips, Lexa’s eyes parted a crack as though to answer that yes, she was there. Clarke saw green eyes glinting painfully at her in the dark. She swallowed a little bit and glanced toward the busted wrist now thrown off to the rubber raft floor at Lexa’s side. Clarke looked back at the cracked open eyes. As the raft plunged and dove she gripped Lexa’s good shoulder to hold her in the boat. The flashlight rolled away and straining with her other arm she shot her hand out and grabbed it. When the raft slid down to the other side of the swell and the bumping turned to lesser turbulent she she looked down to find Lexa’s eyes still cracked. Still watching her. Clarke offered, “I have to set your wrist.”

It took a second, a second that felt like an eternity and caused Clarke to wonder if Lexa could understand there as they lay there staring into each others eyes. But then Lexa gave her a stiff, very slight nod. Clarke felt herself nodding back and looked over at the wrist briefly again before looking at Lexa again, “its.. ..its going to hurt.”

Lexa’s eyes slid closed slowly as though in acknowledgment and Clarke moves aside her and knelt in front of the wrist, “okay,” she glanced across at Lexa’s soaked face, “here we go.”

With shaking hands Clarke opened the first aid kit and took out a plastic brace. She tried to be gentle. But Lexa’s whole body jerked and her teeth clenched the minute Clarke’s fingers touched her wrist. Clarke had to make herself keep going. She had to make herself pick up the wrist.

Biting her own teeth together she started to tug and straighten the bones out. That was when Lexa started screaming, curling her other hand into a fist and beating it into the floor of the boat. That was when Clarke’s eyes also started burning. With shaking hands and the threat of tears in her eyes she twisted and pulled more bones, “its almost there,” she said out-loud the words a watery breath that clung to the back of her throat. She wasn’t sure if she was telling herself this or telling Lexa or telling both of them. She kept smoothing bones as Lexa’s screams stopped, instead she lay in the rain on the raft floor with her head thrown back and her jaw tightly locked, her free hand balled into a fist around the rope handles of the life raft until her knuckle were white to the bones.

“There!” Clarke shouted out, she moved the last bones into place, “we got it!” 

Lexa afforded Clarke a low grunt and a tight nod of her head. The grind of her teeth continued though and her breath sped up again as Clarke gently slid the brace around the broken bones and settled the lower half of Lexa’s hand and her thumb into place in it and tightened it, “that’s the worst of it.” she announced when the brace was in place, uncurling her knees to sit. Lexa’s breath left her in a loud heave of relief and she continued breathing deeply up and down, muscles relaxing all at once until she was limp. 

Clarke felt the same relief. And the absence of pain for both of them made everything feel so much more distant, even the rolling waves under them. It was a shared silence. Clarke found the gauze and tore the package open. Pulling it out of the plastic she started gently wrapping the broken wrist. It took alot of the cloth. More rolls than one. She wanted it thick to keep it clean and immobile until they got back to shore. The flashlight rolled on the swells, but she didn’t need it anymore. Clarke tucked the roll of bandage in, dragged her bag over, and gently placed Lexa’s arm on it so the cloth didn’t get wet - or as wet as it would. Clarke peeled off her jacket and lay it over the top. 

Rain was starting to stop.

The flashlight was rolling around rubber floor with each swell under the boat.

As the boat rode the now gentler swells under them, in the flashlight’s shifting light, Clarke realised Lexa was finally -peacefully- sleeping. This realisation made her own breath pause in her lungs and burn there when the memory of Lexa’s ground teeth and clenched fist striking the boat floor flashed in her head brighter and whiter and in slower motion than it had been in real life. The grunts and shouts leaving the proud adventurer’s body ringing again in her ears. The images would be burned in her mind for ever and the shouts would always echo like ghosts.

She had to keep her warm. 

Clarke knew that dry was going to be next to impossible. The rubber floor had inches of water in it. But she could try and keep her warm. Clarke crawled away from Lexa, finding the flashlight as she did. She reached the bags again and started digging through Lexa’s first for something she had felt in there during the first search of its contents.

Her hand found it again, the soft and smooth fabric. With a greater yank than probably was needed Clarke pulled a couple of the rolled, emergency blankets out. Closing the bag she tucked them under one arm and crawled to where Lexa was.

One after another Clarke spread the blankets over Lexa’s still form. They were surprisingly thin, and surprisingly large for the small space they had taken up. She moved back on her knees then and stared at Lexa. Then looked down at her own feet.

One at a time, Clarke pulled her shoes off. 

They would have to share body-heat.

Lifting the edge of the blankets, she carefully slid under them and laid down beside the other girl. Clarke let the blankets drop on them both. Heat surrounded her instantly. For being thin, the blankets were surprisingly warm and she was inches from Lexa’s side.

The girl shuffled a little and sighed softly. Clarke knew it would be a hard fight in the morning, in more ways than one, when they both woke up. 

But for now, beside her, with the rock of the boat under them, Clarke closed her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everybody. I hoped you like the chapter. For more 'WILD EARTH' or to follow me on Tumblr for other this and other works click [HERE](https://adistantstarblog.tumblr.com/wildearth). 
> 
> If you liked this fic you might like my other modern Clexa AU's - [Flygirl](http://archiveofourown.org/works/13494204/chapters/30945950#main) (note: Flygirl is explicit/nsfw) or my Rockstar Lexa AU '[Lullaby of the Giant Five](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12791856/chapters/29192634)'. Or for those of you interested in Canon Fics, you might like one of my other works - ['All Blood is Red](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5434646/chapters/12558758)' (please note this fic updates slowly) (also, its huge).
> 
> Kudos are appricated if you liked it. Thanks for reading.


	14. Lost at Sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lexa wakes up. Her whole world is at the bottom of the ocean and Clarke has wrapped her wrist. It seems they must try and get past their differences because they may be stuck together for a while…

The little orange raft bobbed around on calm water.  Lexa opened her eyes and found herself on her back looking up at a blue clear sky. But the calm sight was only a harbinger to her that instantly cued the memories of the night before.

_They’d been caught by a tropical storm._

Lexa shot to sit up.

_Her boat was at the bottom of the sea._

She clutched at rubber life-raft with just one hand.  The other one hurt with crippling pain when she tried to move it and it winded her and left her gasping a second for breath.

_She’d broken her wrist._

Clarke had done something to it.  She remembered that too. She remembered hearing someone screaming and remembered when she knew the screaming was coming from her.  The pain of Clarke moving bones back into place in her wrist had been …unbearable.

Lexa looked down very slowly at the broken appendage to find it splinted and bandaged. Lying on a pile made of a back pack and two folded emergency blankets.  

“Easy.” Clarke’s voice was quiet and from a few feet away.  Lexa glanced to find she had taken up residence in the other side of the raft, sitting with her back against it and her knees pulled up. Blonde hair blew in slight wind, “you’ve been out for almost twelve hours.”

Lexa ripped her eyes away from the blonde.  Clamoring to her knees she turned at the same time and used her good hand to grip the rope handles of the raft and pull herself up to her knees to look around them.  But all she saw was endless water surrounding them as far as she could see, stopped only by the distant horizon, “we’re in the ocean.” her voice was too dry. It actually hurt to talk.   

In response, Clarke finally shifted to her hands and knees, grabbed a canteen from near her and crawled over to where lexa was, “here.” she offered it out.  Lexa studied the blonde for just a second more before letting go of the rope. She sat back on her knees and took the water.  She tried to move her other hand to open it but found she couldn’t.  She needed this drink.  Who knew how long it had been without water. Looking at the lid on the canteen she wasn’t quite sure–

“I got it.” Clarke said. She reached out and opened the canteen and then moved to sit on her knees again.  Lexa stared at the opened lid.  She stared over at Clarke and then at the canteen again, “thank you.” she said quietly. Clarke only nodded at her. Lifting the canteen to her lips, Lexa took a drink. It was warm and tasted a bit like the container but it still felt good on her dry throat.  She allowed herself only two more swallows before lowering the canteen, “we have to conserve water.” she spoke while holding the canteen out.  Clarke’s face crinkled a little but she reached over and screwed the lid back on before taking the canteen, backing up with it, and putting it back into the bag.

Watching her Clarke offered, “there is another container in your bag, and I have half of one in mine. I think we can make it until we are rescued or drift back in to land.”

“We won’t be rescued Clarke,” Lexa said point blank to her.  Across from her the blonde’s face shifted a little as though in confusion.  Lexa continued anyway, “not in time.”

“What?” Clarke asked, “why ..why not? There was a storm, your boat went down…”

“It did, yes.” Lexa’s voice was short. It caught both of their attention and she took a minute to breathe before continuing, “I can be gone for weeks at a time, Clarke. No body even knows I am missing.  And you—” Lexa saw the second Clarke understood what she was saying. It was all over the blonde gir’s face.  

Clarke went on, “no one knows I am gone either because following you I can be gone for weeks too.”

Lexa nodded.

Clarke sighed and looked at the bag she had brought. But then her face lit up and she scrambled toward her bag and unzipped it and pulled the tablet out.  Lexa wasn’t sure what she was doing but Clarke seemed really intent on whatever it was as she turned it on and looked up at the sky before looking at the tablet again.  Clarke tapped her fingers on the edges of it, “you’re waterproof. Turn on, turn on….. why are you taking so long?” she was talking to the piece of technology as though it could hear her as she did this Lexa raised an eyebrow at her, “you want to ..email for help? Go on skype maybe?”

Clarke looked up at her in surprise as though she’d forgotten she was there, “this doesn’t have email. Its,” she took a deep breath because it seemed she needed it to admit her guilt, “its only a tracker.”

Lexa snorted at the reminder. She would have folded her arms if she could so instead she just started through the bag of things, taking out items one by one. Her flashlight was already out, she noticed it not in it’s spot in the bag.  Lexa glanced around before she saw it squeezed into the rubber edge of the raft where the floor met the wall. The memory of the night before flashed before her eyes. She could remember the light flashing in her face. She shook it off quickly and brought herself back to the present continuation of that predicament, “probably no signal out here.” she should check her phone–

_Her phone was at the bottom of the sea._

“It’s satellite.”

Lexa felt herself nodding, “of course,” she muttered thinking of all the places Clarke had found her, “it would have to be.” she looked down into her bag then. Everything was scrambled around: waterproof matches, rope, sealed emergency ration packs she had from an army surplus store, fishing line and a tin of hooks, her knife, batteries, among some of it. Her first aid kit was missing from the front pocket. The second she noticed this Lexa realised it what be what Clarke must have used on her wrist. The top of a candle peeked out of her windbreaker jacket in the bag.  Lexa reached in slowly and tried to tug the candle out. She felt her teeth grind just a little as she held it aloft and the bottom half of the candle fell off and landed in her bag with a dull thud that seemed punctuated with a sudden, single lift of a faster wave under them.

“Well your camera is still broadcasting,” Clarke spoke up, “when the batteries die, someone might know something went wrong–”

Still holding the top half of the candle aloft Lexa looked over at Clarke, “it could take a week for the battery to die.”

“Oh.” Clarke seemed disheartened, and looked at her screen.

Lexa breathed in deeply and tried to let go of the stab of remembered rage she felt from discovering about that gps, “but it is our last location,” she let the piece of candle drop, “and if nothing else. When they do realise we are missing it will give them a place to start.”

But Clarke was shaking her head, “I don’t think so.” she muttered, as though she too had just realised a flaw in her plan.

It made Lexa have to ask, “why not?”

Clarke lifted her chin and studied Lexa a second. Finally she pulled in a breath of air that made her lungs expand as though she needed it to admit, “what Jaha is doing is illegal-” she began.

Lexa nodded in understanding, “he isn’t going to fess up.” she looked in the bag. Not even to find them. She started shuffling things around a bit more. The dull ache in her wrist was getting worse the more she was awake. These packs she had packed for deep sea situations like this. There would be vitamin C tablets, tablets to purify water, and her compass too. She pulled the jacket out and slid it on. 

“He isn’t.” Clarke muttered. She turned the tablet off. As she did she put it into the bag again and dug a little more and pulled out her phone.  Clarke unlocked the screen and stared at it, “no signal.” 

“Mmm.” Lexa muttered. Not finding pain killers she moved to sit a little better and reached for the opened first aid kit and dragged it toward her.  She knew she shouldn’t say it. She knew she shouldn’t pick a fight in this close quarters but the little burst of anger she had felt earlier was still under the surface, “not satellite then?” she stopped her digging through the first aid kit, glad to see there were plenty of bandages and antibiotics and looked up at Clarke.

Clarke, in turn, was just starting at her over her phone with a blank expression on her face. She looked down at the phone and tucked it into her bag before answering, “no, its not.”

Lexa closed the kit, “that was uncalled for of me.”

“Not really,” Clarke answered, “I shouldn’t be here.” She looked away over the ocean.

Lexa shrugged and looked over at her, “I would have still gotten lost at sea, you know,” she admitted. That made Clarke look up at her quickly.  Lexa breathed in just as deeply as she had seen Clarke do a second ago and went on, “its not that I’ve forgotten everything. But us being lost at sea, isn’t your fault.”

Clarke nodded, and Lexa could for a second see a tiny bit of relief in blue eyes. Looking away she decided it best to change the subject, “I don’t think we have painkillers.” She could not believe she forgot them. 

“I didn’t see any,” Clarke’s voice was a whisper, “you um …mangled your wrist pretty bad. It’s a compound fracture. I set it right but its only a splint,” she was rambling now and Lexa knew it and she knew that Clarke was rambling now and it made Lexa stare at her trying to understand why as Clarke went on, “but it should work until we get home–”

“Clarke,” Lexa cut in quickly. They might not be going home soon.

Clarke stopped talking.  Her mouth snapped shut.  It was like even though Lexa hadn’t said the words out loud, Clarke heard them anyway. There in the little raft they stared at each other for a long time. Finally, Lexa reached a hand forward toward Clarke’s bag in silent question. 

Clarke flinched as though brought back from somewhere, “yeah,” she stated, glancing at her bag before handing it across, “guess ..guess I should be glad I got lost at sea with an explorer.” she let go of the bag as Lexa took it. Clarke shrugged and sat back, “probably you won’t find much useful stuff in there. There is a pair of sweatpants though you can wear if you–”

Lexa started through the girl’s bag. There were ziplocs of cookies and some sort of hand-made trail mix that looked like it was mostly sugary cereals, nuts and raisins, but it did look like it would taste really good. One by one she pulled these out and laid them on the raft floor.

“You..” Clarke spoke motioning toward the ziplocs, “you can have some of that.” Clarke paused. The air on the sea ripped between them again, briefly, quickly there and gone again, bouncing the little raft some as it came and went. Clarke grabbed the rope rails. So had Lexa. When the bouncing stopped and the sea was silent Clarke’s tone had changed completely to a more serious one, “Lexa?”

Lexa returned to the bag though, pulling out the sweatpants. She froze when she saw the little infinity camera in the bag under them.  She stared at it and couldn’t help but think about how it was staring back at her. All cameras did.  Slowly, Lexa closed her hand around it.

“Lexa?”

The second time Clarke said her name, Lexa looked up at her. Clarke in turn looked around them at the ocean and finally back at her and asked, “you …you really think no one is coming for us?”

Lexa could feel the quiet unease settling in the air, almost fear but more anxious. Finally she looked back down at the camera in Clarke’s bag. Lexa moved it aside, “no.” she answered, “not yet.”

Clarke only nodded as though the words winded her. 

Lexa continued her search of the bag. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everybody. I hoped you like the chapter. For more 'WILD EARTH' or to follow me on Tumblr for other this and other works click [HERE](https://adistantstarblog.tumblr.com/wildearth). 
> 
> If you liked this fic you might like my other modern Clexa AU's - [Flygirl](http://archiveofourown.org/works/13494204/chapters/30945950#main) (note: Flygirl is explicit/nsfw) or my Rockstar Lexa AU '[Lullaby of the Giant Five](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12791856/chapters/29192634)'. Or for those of you interested in Canon Fics, you might like one of my other works - ['All Blood is Red](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5434646/chapters/12558758)' (please note this fic updates slowly) (also, its huge).
> 
> Kudos are appricated if you liked it. Thanks for reading.


	15. Her Name was Costia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke has questions. So does Lexa. At the top of that list is how in the world did Clarke know how to sky dive in the first place? Anya is onto the idea that something might be wrong. Emerson thinks he got away …again.

The sun beat down on their little raft as though it was its favorite spot in the entire world to shine on.  It was so hot that sweat wet her skin.  Clarke had taken off her shoes and her socks in effort to stay cooler, but it was helping very little.  The raft rocked up and down on the waves.  She was curled up in the corner of it, feeling sick from the motion and maybe fading in and out of sleep -

“Clarke?” 

A hand touched her arm.  Lexa.  Clarke rolled open one eye to see the outline of the other girl as a shadow against the blue sky. Clarke cleared her throat, “I don’t… I don’t feel so well.” Her skin was pink with sunburn.

“It’s the heat, Clarke,” Lexa glanced upward and then at her again, “we have to get out of the sun.”

“Whaaa…” Clarke moved to sit up better, or tried to. She felt weak. She felt dizzy with each rock of the boat. She felt confused for a split second as to why they were out on the ocean.  But out of the corner of her eye though she saw Lexa shifting to her knees near her, her injured arm hanging limp at her side.  For some reason that made everything clearer.  She remembered wrapping that wrist and the boat sinking in the storm.  Clarke struggled to her knees, “Lexa?”

Lexa was struggling with a large Velcro flap across the back of the orange raft with her good hand.  She repeated herself, “We have to get out of the sun.”

Clarke didn’t know how she was planning to do that out here on the sea, or what Lexa was even doing.  But she still moved forward and got her hands on the flap to help her.

–==–

Anya had one leather boot up on her coffee table as she sharpened her favorite butterfly knife.  She was more intent on the blades than she was of the male face of the reporter on the t.v. whose voice was blasting through her apartment over custom made speakers, _“now the streetlights at those intersections should be operating normally again as of mid morning tomorrow-_ -”

God, Anya thought as she looked up at the ‘reporter’ on the screen, why did she watch this station again? He looked unwholesome at best.  That was the best word she could place on him. 

“— _until that time, the flow of traffic will be maintained by law enforcement officers–”_

Traffic cops.  Anya scraped the traditional sharpening stone across the blade, she’d posed as one once.  She finished sharpening the knife, set the stone on the table in front of her and started flipping the blades open and closed.  Anya got up and went to her kitchen to get coffee, reminding herself she was watching this station –pretty constantly these days- for a reporter.  Just not for that one that was talking on it now.  Also there seemed to be something shady about the whole station.  She just didn’t know what yet. She opened a cupboard, reached for a mug, took it out and started to pour coffee into it.  In the background the kid went on, _“in other news Tropical Storm Nia made an unpredictable move last night–“_  Anya slowly, slowly stopped pouring.  

_Nia._

She thought of Lexa instantly – Lexa and her little boat.  Anya set the coffee pot down.

“— _over to you Harper, for that report.”_

She picked up her coffee cup and walked back into the front of her apartment in time to see the image on the screen change from the unwholesome kid to that of a blonde young woman standing on a windy boardwalk of a marina whom smiled widely at the camera, _“-thank you, John.”_  

Butterfly knife in one hand, coffee cup in the other, Anya stopped right in front of her t.v.

The girl on the screen went on, _“continuing our coverage of Tropical Storm Nia, an interesting occurrence last night.  Unlike predicted the storm system actually turned from the course it had been taking out to sea and swept back toward us again, barreling toward the mainland at speeds of 72 miles per hour. That is just two miles under hurricane status–”_

 _Shit_. Anya dropped the knife and started reaching for her phone.

“ _-the good news is however, that Nia again shifted directions away from our coastline before making landfall and causing any damage.”_

It left.

Besides, Lexa wouldn’t have gone out in a storm.

She was way too smart for that.

Anya dialed anyway.

-=-

The underside of the tarp lifted and fell on the slight wind, just like the raft did under her on the water.  It was only inches from her face. They had managed to drape it over the sides and secure it.  The rustling noise it made was the only sound heard.

Lexa lay sprawled on her back in the bottom of the raft staring up at the tarp.  She had taken off the barrowed jacket and her socks a long time ago to try and help with the heat.  Her wrist hurt unbearably.  Its broken pieces throbbed inside the splint that had tightened with swelling.  She wanted to rip it off.  She wanted to throw it into the sea.  Clarke was curled up at the other end of the raft, a mess of bare legs and blonde hair.  It hit barely hit Lexa just now that the girl was also wearing an orange life vest.  In fact now that she thought of it she remembered the girl had jumped from the helicopter with it on. With a slight grunt at this knowledge, Lexa lifted her good arm over her eyes, “Clarke?”  

At first there was no answer except for the rise and fall of the tarp.  But then she heard Clarke shift a little and answer, “Lexa?” 

It was uncomfortable suddenly.

They hadn’t spoken in hours.

Without looking at her Lexa asked her question anyway, “you’ve had that vest on this whole time?”

A long pause followed before Clarke answered again, “I told you I would wear one, if I was ever in a place I might need one.”

Lexa snorted in wry amusement and reflected on her earlier thought, “You know how to sky-dive,” she pointed out, “but you can’t swim?” to her this set of two facts seemed almost unbelievable. 

“My dad was a combat engineer,” there was a smile in Clarke’s voice, “and I always wanted to know what he did at work.  So when I was finally old enough he taught me how,” her voice got a little soft, a little wistful, “it was something we did together.”

“I see,” Lexa kept her answer soft as well.  She stayed quiet then and felt when Clarke shifted around a little more in the bottom of the raft. She hadn’t missed the use of past-tense, when Clarke had talked about her dad. 

-=-

Emerson drank his beer.  It was stale and warm but he didn’t care.  Sitting on the couch he stared at the blonde reporter speaking on the small t.v. screen, _“the good news is however, that Nia again shifted directions away from our coastline before making landfall and causing any damage–”_

He lifted his beer to his lips again.  On the screen a man in a yellow nylon jacket had approached the reporter, _“are storms like Nia common here?”_

On the screen the blonde went on, _“actually no.  These types of storm systems are more common around the Bahamas and Florida and up that coastline-”_

The lock in the apartment door clicked.  Emerson looked at it over the top of his beer.

“ _However they are not unheard of. In fact there was a series of storms back in 1997, including Hurricane Nora which moved inland and maintained tropical storm status as far inland as Arizona.  Unlike Nia several other storms have made landfall as well, one example being Hurricane Dean in 2007.”_

The door opened.  Echo stepped in.  She closed the door behind her and stood there.  Emerson lowered his beer, “well?”

Echo folded her arms and shrugged, “Woods fell for it.”

“You’re sure?” he asked, sitting forward quickly but not getting up.

“Her boat isn’t at the marina.” 

Emerson started to smile, small at first.  He sank back against the back of the couch again and drank from his beer more deeply the smile growing into a wide smirk as excitement filled him, “it’s not?” Excitement tasted better than his beer.  “But I’ve heard she’s good.” He said anyway, “at surviving.”

“She is,” Echo nodded, “but our back up plan is in place as well.” He looked at her in interest.  Echo went on, “she won’t come back.  Not this time.” 

He snorted out a laugh and took several gulps from the bottle in his hand, without stopping, and turned his eyes back to the reporter on the screen, _“officials at marinas were still allowing boats out into open waters as late as yesterday afternoon as Nia had not been a threat at that time. However, many boats were still out at the time the storm unexpectedly moved inland, and the Coast Guard is looking into their status to be sure they are not in danger-”_

“And Clarke?” Emerson asked, lowering his beer.  She was the point of this whole thing.  Woods was just the means.

“She’s apparently out on assignment.” Echo raised an eyebrow, smirked and folded her arms.

“Perfect.” Emerson said. His beer was empty. He tossed it aside, got up, and went to get another one.  As he did he looked back at the t.v. screen again.  Let them check all the boats they want. 

-=-

“Lexa?” the side of Clarke’s face was against the floor of the boat, making it damp either from sweat or water or both.  She glanced across to the top of Lexa’s head, brown curls spread out all around her, damp with water as well.  Lexa didn’t answer at first.  So Clarke shifted, lifting her face just a little to look at her better, “Lexa?” 

Lexa didn’t move. But finally she answered, “Clarke?”

Clarke’s legs were sticking to the bottom of the boat as well. But she couldn’t quite sit up to free them, not with the tarp providing them shade just a few inches over her face.  So she lay back down again and stared up at it and felt the rocking of the water. They were going to have to eat soon.  Lexa would need to take an anti-biotic.

“What is it, Clarke?”

Clarke glanced over at her again.  There had been a question.  She had thought of it while laying there thinking of what happened the night before, thinking about the way Lexa had so much confidence and control – even when the boat caught on fire, even when it was being sucked down into the sea below. Clarke wasn’t sure she wanted to ask it anymore.  So she spoke up about her other thoughts instead, “you will need to take some medicine soon,” she looked up at the tarp above her, “we can’t have it get infected.”

“I know,” Lexa’s answer was quiet, “I will soon.”  

“You will have to eat something with it.” Clarke’s stomach growled at the mention of food. She hoped Lexa hadn’t heard it.  She mostly had added it in for something to say.  

“You should eat something as well,” Lexa answered, “Saving rations does no good if you get weak from not eating.”

Clarke sighed, caught. She put a hand to her stomach, “I will soon too.” Except for the growling of her stomach and the flap of the tarp the raft went quiet.  But the tension remained in the air as though Lexa knew that none of this was really what Clarke had meant to ask about.

“Clarke?” 

 “Lexa?” 

“What did you really want to ask me?” 

There it was.

Clarke sighed and turned onto her side.  She studied Lexa where she lay.  The question left her mouth before she could stop it, “your boat? Did it have a name?”

Lexa flinched.  Clarke bit her lip.  This was exactly why Clarke had originally decided not to ask.  Then finally after seeming to take three or four steadying breaths Lexa pulled her arm away from her eyes, “her name was _Costia_ ,” she answered.  Her voice was level but quiet at the same time.  Lexa stared up at the tarp, “but Nia sank her.”

“I’m sorry,” Clarke whispered her throat suddenly dry.

But Lexa covered her eyes with her arm again and switched quickly to another topic, “I never thanked you for saving me, for fixing my wrist.”

“You don’t have to.” Clarke answered, still watching her, “it’s what anyone would do.”  

“It isn’t,” Lexa countered, her breath in her chest falling and rising a couple times harder than it should.  Then she said sincerely, “and I do.”

Clarke was a little startled by the depth of Lexa’s conviction. But she had a distinct feeling that whatever it was causing it was important. So she didn’t brush it off and said the only thing she could, “you’re welcome.”

Lexa nodded under her arm, “are you feeling better with the shade up?”

“Some,” Clarke allowed for the subject to change, because she was pretty sure they both could use it right about now, “we both would have suffered heatstroke soon without it.” She had been closer to getting it than Lexa had.  In fact, her pants were gone as a result of means to prevent it and she wasn’t even sure when –or by whom- they had been removed.  Finally Clarke asked back, “Are you?”

“Some,” Lexa used the same answer.  After a few seconds she added, “You can stop staring Clarke.” But it was said without any irritation.

"I’m not.” Clarke protested.  But Lexa only snorted softly.  Clarke grunted in return.  Taking a page out of Lexa’s book though, she looked away from her slowly and stared up at the bottom of the tarp instead. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year! I hope its a great one for you!
> 
> And thank you, so much, for reading and helping make 2017 great! It's been fun and I have enjoyed hearing from you all! You all are the best.
> 
> For more 'WILD EARTH' or to follow me on Tumblr for other this and other works click [HERE](https://adistantstarblog.tumblr.com/wildearth). 
> 
> If you liked this fic you might like my other modern Clexa AU's - [Flygirl](http://archiveofourown.org/works/13494204/chapters/30945950#main) (note: Flygirl is explicit/nsfw) or my Rockstar Lexa AU '[Lullaby of the Giant Five](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12791856/chapters/29192634)'. Or for those of you interested in Canon Fics, you might like one of my other works - ['All Blood is Red](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5434646/chapters/12558758)' (please note this fic updates slowly) (also, its huge).
> 
> Kudos are appricated if you liked it. Thanks for reading.


	16. Sea of Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief -and tumultuous- history and a rubber raft isn't much to go on, and doesn't make it easy to start over for Clarke and Lexa stranded at sea. What they weren't counting on though were all those stars.

It was night again. They had folded back the tarp. The orange raft rocked gently on the water. Clarke sat staring up at an inky black sky filled with countless glimmering stars. Never in her life had she been able to see so many, “you can never see them this close in the city.” she remarked quietly. Her lips felt dry and chapped so she licked them before adding, “the stars.”

But her companion in the raft didn’t say anything back to her, and Clarke wondered if she should have spoken at all. But still, unable to bear the silence she pointed up at the sky at one glowing constellation and tried again, “that’s Ursa Major. If you follow the last three stars up they point straight to Polaris, the North Star.” she paused. She glanced through the dark again and frowned to herself a little for being so stupid. "But ..but you probably already knew that.”

Things were still tense beween them, and all Clarke heard back for the past several minutes was the opening and closing of zippers and Lexa shuffling through things in the dark. And for some reason it made Clarke realise how alone they really were out here on the Ocean. She wasn’t sure if all the movement could be good for Lexa’s broken bones, expecially when from time to time in all the shuffling she heard a soft little grunt. When she heard it again she looked over and asked, “how’s your wrist.” 

“Hurts.” was the prompt answer back. Clarke felt the boat dip around each time Lexa moved around in it, different than the way it reacted with the water under it. When Lexa moved around it the bottom of it felt more like the sinking of a matress when someone sat on the edge of it. Clarke heard another zipper open up and started to wonder how many zippers thier two bags combined could possibly have. Then she also remembered that there were pockets built into the walls of the raft as well, “can I help you with something?” 

“No, its okay,” Lexa’s answer was buisnesslike as a zipper closed again, “I got it Clarke, thanks.” 

“What are you doing?” Clarke asked at last.

“Currently,” Lexa’s voice answered her, “looking for where you put the flashlight.”

“Where I put it?” Clarke asked, suddenly feeling accused of something. She glared through the dark, “I’m not the only one that’s used it, Lexa.” Lexa only grunted. Annoyed Clarke went on, “maybe it washed overboard or something.” she stopped trying then. She decided she could ignore Lexa for a little while. Lexa just went back to her digging through things. Clarke looked back up at the stars. As she did she wondered if anyone out there knew they were missing yet. Maybe Raven? Maybe Raven would be wondering why she wasn’t answering calls. But then Raven knew that she was out in the field. So even through she wasn’t answering her phone Raven might not even be suspcious yet. Her mom wouldn’t be either. This wasn’t supposed to happen like this. She was just going to tell Lexa about the Camera and quietly sit out the two days back to shore. Then probably -no, certianly- have to find another job.

“I hope it didn’t wash overboard. Its the only one we have.” Lexa’s tone was a little quieter. The shuffling around had stopped. Clarke sneaked a look her direction in the dark, sighed, and decided to let it go, “Lexa?”

“Hmm..” Lexa was fidgeting with something else now, Clarke could hear the rattling of something in the dark. Then a bumping noise of that something hitting against Lexa’s bag.

Clarke finally asked, “do you think anyone will find us?” 

There was a sudden stopping of movement from where Lexa was at, and a very long pause after Clarke asked that question. Clarke heard another metallic noise of a zipper before Lexa said, “I know.” the sound of a paper package being ripped open followed. 

Clarke made a face. The two words didn’t answer her question at all. In fact if anything else they sounded as though Lexa was avoiding it. Clarke had to ask, “know what?” 

Finally, just a few seconds later, a golden glow of light faded to life in the middle of the raft. Lexa was on her knees with just sitting back from a battery operated lantern. The pack of batteries ripped open near Lexa’s knees still several new batteries in it. That had been the tearing noise, Clarke realised. The bumping about must have been her finding the lantern. It's light shined on Lexa. It shined on her chestnut curls hanging loose around her body. It shined on her tanned skin and in shined in her eyes and for a minute, Clarke felt herself holding her breath at the sight of her. But then Lexa looked up at the sky, which caused Clarke to look back up as well. She half expected for a moment not to be able to see the stars as well as she did before with the light of the lantern, but apparently the lantern was too poor a light to change how bright everything was up there. Lexa took a deep breath as though she was about to let Clarke in on a secret, “I know you can never see them this bright. They are one of the reasons I like being out in the middle of no where. I can see all the stars.” 

“Well,” Clarke snorted softly, glancing over at Lexa as she did. She looked out at the black water of the deep seas that spread out all around them endlessly, “we are most certainly in the middle of nowhere now.” In reply, Clarke thought she might have heard Lexa expel an amused breath. But she wasn’t sure she heard it. Lexa looked around them and offered slowly, “well… this may be a _bit_ far out in the middle of nowhere, even for me.” 

Clarke laughed under her breath this time. And this time she was sure she heard Lexa laugh a little too. Clarke sighed, “you think so?” she asked with a smirk.

“Probably,” Lexa answered, still looking over the sea. The air between them went quiet again. But it was a comfortable quiet this time. In the golden light of the lantern Lexa looked down at the bag beside her and one after the other pulled two heavy-duty foil packets out of it and set them on the raft floor. Then she zipped the bag for what was finally probably the last time because she pushed it away, “we can probably fish in the morning. It will add to our supply of food.”

“What?” Clarke asked in surprise. She furrowed her forehead a little, “we can fish here? I mean, isn’t the water too deep?” she asked it even though she remembered seeing fishing line and hooks in Lexa’s things. She grunted at herself for another stupid question. She should know by now that if Lexa had something on her - she intended to have to use it. 

“Well, we have line with us and it should be strong enough because its not like we are going to be catching a shark on it,” she started to explain, “you wouldn’t want that anyway, a shark I mean. Well, really you wouldn’t even want to run into one. But most really don’t come out in deep water anyway. Most stay around coral reefs where there is lots of food for them. And besides even if one was going to attack us and wanted to eat us you would know it--”

Clarke couldn’t help but start smiling, watching Lexa go on like this. She hadn’t even been considering the possibility of sharks, much less being eaten by one. She felt a smile crack her face that got bigger and bigger as she listened intently to this shark monolog. Maybe she should be worried about them, and maybe she would after hearing all this. But right now, watching Lexa, it was just so damn cute.

“--because they do this speedy zig-zag thing through the water and flatten their gills back before they strike and when they do attack humans they often do it by mistake and let go,” Lexa was explaining, “soon as they realise you are not a really tasty seal…” she stopped quickly as though suddenly she realised what she was doing. She looked over at Clarke quickly as if to see what her reaction was, “this is probably boring you.” Even in the glow of the lantern Clarke thought she might have seen Lexa blush a little before she looked away quietly at the black water.

“No,” Clarke encouraged her, not wanting for a minute for Lexa to be embarrassed about talking to her about her passion like this. And she meant it too, “I think its amazing actually.  And I think its amazing how…” she broke off for a second when Lexa looked over at her and actually smiled. Clarke blinked. She felt her insides flutter with excitement that she hadn’t known in days. She smiled back without even meaning to because of Lexa’s smile and went on, “how..” Clarke asked, “I mean, how do you know and keep track of all these things?” 

Lexa’s smile shifted to a soft snort, “I guess I’ve spent my life learning them. I guess it started when I was four and my dad gave me an Uncle Milton Ant Farm.  Anyway though,” Lexa cleared her throat as though she realised she was getting a little off track and was reaching for a way to explain, “its not like I think about all these things all the time. They are just ..there when I need them?”

“You had an ant farm?” Clarke asked in amusement.

Lexa nodded, “I did.” she answered. In the lantern light she looked at Clarke curiously, “didn’t you?”

“Nah, I had the little plastic Sea Monkey kit. You know, the one shaped like a little castle.” She smiled across at Lexa.

“Those are actually a hybrid breed of brine shrimp.” Lexa offered to her.

“Oh!” Clarke’s smile turned into a grin, “I knew that.” she finally knew something Lexa did.

“Well,” Lexa smirked at her, “did you know they were invented in 1957 by a man named Harold von Braunhut?” 

Clarke blinked at her, “I uh,” she was a little suprised at how Lexa kept saying all these obscure facts. Clarke snorted softly in amusement, “actually, I didn’t.”

“Well,” Lexa smiled, “now you do.” 

“Now I do,” Clarke agreed her smile returning, “but that is what I mean, Lexa. Its still freaking amazing and I mean really. You just sat here and gave me a whole bunch of information about sea monkeys and about sharks, where they eat and how to know if they are going to attack you or not …all off the top of your head.” 

Lexa’s smile was small but there. After a few seconds though she looked down at the metal packages on the floor, “but yes, we can fish in the morning. But for now we need to eat,” she looked down at the foil packages again. She picked one of them up and squeezed it firmly with her good hand, “these are self warming, if you squeeze them some before opening them to eat them.” Lexa moved on her hands and knees to where Clarke was at and offered the packet out, “it should be ready. I got them at a military surplus store. It’s beef stew. You’re going to have to,” Lexa made a face, “you’re going to have to pour it in your mouth.”

Clarke’s stomach grumbled loudly suddenly at the very thought of beef stew. Lexa heard it and looked down at it then up at Clarke. Clarke blushed, bit her lip, and took the packet from Lexa’s hand, “thank you.” she said.  Lexa nodded and turned and went back to where the lantern was. Clarke ripped the packet open and the warm smell of stew filled the salty air. Clarke gulped several swallows of the warm contents down. It was surprisingly good, or she was hungrier than she knew, “how did they make this?”

Lexa glanced over at her in reply, lifted her eyebrows, and squeezed her own foil packet, sat and opened it up, “that, I don’t know.” in the light of the lantern she started to drink the contents down.

Clarke laughed a little and swallowed more of her food. In the light of the lantern Lexa took another swallow and then pointed up at the stars above them, “that one there.. with the bright blue star in it? That one is virgo.” This surprised Clarke. She almost choked on her dinner. Lexa went on, “its easy to tell too because if you connect the stars they make sort of a box with lines coming out of each corner.”

Clarke felt her heart give a little extra squeeze in her chest and for a while it was perfect despite being lost at sea, sitting there in the glow of lantern light that made just a tiny little spot on the dark ocean; eating packaged beef stew and pointing out to each other constellations flung high overhead in the inky black sea of stars.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For More 'WILD EARTH' or to follow me on tumblr for more fics and other works click [HERE](https://adistantstarblog.tumblr.com/wildearth).
> 
> f you liked Wild Earth you might like my other modern Clexa AU's - [Flygirl](http://archiveofourown.org/works/13494204/chapters/30945950#main) (note: Flygirl is explicit/nsfw) or my Rockstar!Lexa AU '[Lullaby of the Giant Five](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12791856/chapters/29192634). Or for those of you interested in Canon Fics, you might like one of my other works - ['All Blood is Red](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5434646/chapters/12558758)' (please note this fic updates very slowly) (also, its huge).
> 
> Kudos are appricated if you liked it. Thanks for reading.


	17. Inked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stuck in a boat there's not much to do, except, maybe, get to know you better? But some things just don't come that easy.

Daylight forced them back under the tarp early. It rose and fell. The noise it made doing so was the only thing heard except for the occasional sound of Clarke moving around in the other end of the raft. The bottom of the boat was damp and uncomfortable. Her clothing was getting crunchy with the salt water and air, and she had promised Clarke fishing but they really couldn’t do that with the tarp draped across the raft as there wasn’t room for sitting. Maybe this evening, she thought to herself. Right after they took it down again. It had to be near noon now. Lexa kept her good arm across her face as she lay sprawled out in one half of the boat with her feet up on the raft’s rubbery side and the top of her head toward Clarke. Inside the plastic brace her wrist was aching badly and she kept it draped across her chest trying her best not to move it. 

They hadn’t talked much since that morning. 

Lexa broke the silence at last, “Clarke?” She didn’t move her arm from her face. 

She heard Clarke move a little in the bottom of the boat, probably to glance toward her, “Lexa?”

“Anya will probably find us first,” she expelled this thought on a quiet sigh and explained, “you asked last night if anyone would find us.” She had avoided the question because she didn’t want to dash Clarke’s hopes with a discouraging answer. But the question had been bothering her since prompting her to find the best answer she could. Lexa did believe Anya would find them. It was what her sister did. But she hoped Clarke wouldn’t press further, or ask about how or when. Because Lexa didn’t have that answer.

“Anya?”

It wasn’t the question that Lexa had been expecting but she would take it over the other possible questions she had dreaded, “my sister.”

“You have a sister?” Clarke’s soft smile was in her voice.

“I do,” Lexa hadn’t lifted her arm from her eyes, “and she’s a pain in the ass.” She shifted a little in the bottom of the boat but it made a sharp stabbing pain shoot through her busted wrist and she ground the next words through her teeth without meaning to, “do you have siblings, Clarke?” Little gasps left Lexa’s lips as the pains wore down to a dull ache again.

“No.” her tone was wistful, “it was just me, my mom and dad.” She paused and after a second added in, “I really wish we had some pain killers for you.” 

“Me too.” Lexa muttered. She wished she’d remembered to pack them. She packed everything else under the sun into the emergency bags, but pain-killers. Maybe she hadn’t considered that someone might break their wrist. Next time she would. Clarke moved a little in the boat and as she did one foot flopped right down into the space near Lexa’s head, startling her. The bounce hurt her wrist but not like it hurt a second ago and she finally moved her arm off her eyes just enough to peek out. 

She saw Clarke’s little toes. She saw her little toenails painted an adorable shade of pink. But it was the little trail of stars tattooed on Clarke’s ankle that did something to her. Because suddenly she was feeling hot and it wasn’t the heat and because suddenly out of no where she wanted to trace those little stars and suddenly she was wondering how Clarke would sound if she did. She had never been a foot girl, but tattoos on girls? Yeah. Gasping at herself and her thoughts Lexa screwed her eyes shut quickly, this is Clarke, she reminded herself, this is the reporter that stalked her and kept wrecking everything. But her mouth didn’t listen to her brain and she blurted out, “you have a tattoo.” 

“What?” Clarke asked as though she forgotten. Lexa peeked out again in time to see her wiggle her toes. Lexa squeezed her eyes shut quickly again. Clarke spoke up, “oh yeah, I do. Little stars, yeah. It was a dare.” There was a pause. A long one. Lexa felt Clarke looking at her and finally she spoke again, “you have a tattoo too.” That foot slid down her arm and touched it.

Lexa jumped a mile, “shit!” the top of the tarp tented up with her as she did. Clarke yanked her foot back and Lexa fell back onto the floor of the boat, “damnshitfuck!” the three words left her lips quickly before she could stop them all rolled into one, because if her wrist hadn’t been hurting her before it was now for certain. She grabbed at that wrist with her good hand. Her skin also tingled where Clarke had touched it. Lexa squeezed her eyes shut to keep from further cussing like a sailor – finding it fitting that they were on the ocean. 

“Sorry…” Clarke murmured, “I shouldn’t have touched, I wasn’t thinking, I mean …I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Forget it Clarke,” Lexa’s voice was dry as the pain started fading out. She stared up at the tarp overhead and decided to derail the topic, “tattoos, by the way.”

“Tattoos?” Clarke sounded hesitantly curious.

Lexa nodded without looking at Clarke, “I have more than the one.”

“Where?” Clarke asked.

Lexa closed her eyes and decided to be non-specific to maybe derail this topic too, “on my body somewhere.”

“Oh, that’s helpful.” Clarke snorted. The raft bounced some when she flopped back against it, “come on, Lexa. Show me yours. I showed you mine.”

Lexa felt a blush crawl up her neck, “Clarke-” 

“What? You started it.” Clarke’s smirk was evident in her voice. 

“It’s not like you showed it on purpose,” Lexa protested, “you ...you flopped it right down in front of my face –your tattoo-- ” she clarified needlessly. She snapped her mouth shut before she could make it worse and her cool completely slipped. God, being confined to a small raft was getting to her. Silence followed and the up and down motion of the raft on the waves under them finally had been just starting to distract her from her thoughts from where a simple little string of stars tattooed on a cute girl’s ankle had taken her when Clarke asked again, “so can I see it?”

Lexa sighed and gave in at last, “maybe someday,” she glanced down at her wrist. Its dull throb worse inside the plastic and bandages from the bumping it took in the past few minutes, “how did you know how to set my wrist?” the question would work as –another- much needed diversion and besides it was a question she had been meaning to ask Clarke anyway. 

Clarke didn’t answer at first and Lexa started wondering if she had said something wrong. She watched the bottom of the tarp. Maybe Clarke hadn’t heard her. But just in case she had and didn’t want to talk about it Lexa decided not to ask again anyway.

“I used to be in med school.” Clarke spoke up suddenly. Lexa blinked in surprise. She didn’t think she could think of ‘Clarke Griffin of Arkadia News’ as something like a doctor. But she said nothing because she hadn’t missed the ‘used to’ at the beginning of the confession. Clarke went on, “but it didn’t work out for me. Mostly because,” Clarke cleared her throat. Lexa could hear her digging around in stuff suddenly as she offered, “it’s not what I really wanted to do.”

Lexa could hear the nervousness in Clarke’s voice that she was trying to bury with a light tone. It prompted Lexa to wonder what made Clarke nervous like this, when she talked about it like this. Carefully Lexa tipped her head back just a little bit and caught sight of the girl’s feet and spread out to each side of her bag. Clarke was digging through it and taking clothes out of it and piling them up. Lexa looked away, “what did you want to do?” she asked. She hoped the girl wouldn’t say go into news reporting.

“I wanted to get into t.v,” Clarke’s answer was both quick and honest. Lexa heard even more things being pulled out of the bag and briefly wondered how much it could possibly carry as Clarke went on, “digital 3d art and animation. You know, kind of free lance? I even made a series.” Clarke must have found what she was looking for because the digging stopped. Within seconds Lexa heard the cap on a water container being twisted open and she heard Clarke swallow a couple of times and screw the cap back on, “but it didn’t work out. I didn’t want to go back to being a doctor so I got the job at Arkadia Station through friend of mine. It’s not quite what I wanted. But it’s TV and it’s a start. Jaha moved me pretty fast up to reporter, and it pays the bills. How to get my show seen by people I am still trying to figure out.” She stopped talking a second and Lexa could feel her discouragement. She was trying to think of something to say when Clarke spoke up again, “think we’re going to run out of water?”

The question slammed into Lexa’s head. Clarke had been casual about it, but Lexa couldn’t be. It almost made her panic. She tipped her head back to look. Clarke was laying sprawled out with a jumble of things including a few clothes and a pair of sandals, the damn tracker tablet that the sight of still caused Lexa to feel sparks of anger burst to life, a smaller bag and a tablet of warped paper among other things shoved into a pile between Clarke and the boat side. But Clarke was holding a near empty container of water in her hand where she sat, and, giving it a gentle shove, pushed it toward Lexa. It fell over in the boat and Lexa flipped onto her stomach painfully and grabbed it up quickly to keep the rest of the water from spilling before she realized it was closed. But there was so little water in it that it was hard not to panic, “We have two more containers, still?” she demanded. Survival mode had kicked in. Looking at the water she then looked at Clarke.

“Yeah, nearly two.” Clarke confirmed.

“Okay,” Lexa sighed out in relief and set the water container aside. 

“Lexa?” Clarke fiddled with the pile of things she had taken out of her bag, digging through the clothes as though looking for something. Lexa really wanted to tell her she should clean it all up or risk it going over the side but Clarke asked before she could, “what happens when the water’s gone? You have a way to make more, right?”

“Well,” Lexa began slowly, “the desalination process requires an entire factory, and only 1 percent of salt water can actually be turned into something drinkable so-”

“So you don’t?” Clarke interpreted cutting her off, “Lexa?” 

Lexa didn’t want to start talking about cutting fish open and drinking the fresh water they made with their gills next, because even if they did that it still wouldn’t be enough and their bodies would still soon dehydrate so she answered instead, “hopefully we will be at where we are going by then.” 

“Then you know where we’re going?” Clarke looked at her hopefully.

“I don’t,” Lexa admitted to her, “I am just hoping something changes soon.”

“Oh,” Clarke said. She blinked a minute as though this was something she should have known way out here. She took a breath, “okay. Sorry, just being stuck like this is getting to me. I’m asking dumb stuff.” Clarke dug a book out of what looked like the pair of sweatpants she had offered on the first night but Lexa had that pair on. It was a distracting suddenly, though no so more than Clarke suddenly flipping the book open and burying her nose in it, “wait,” Lexa asked, “You’re reading just like that?” In spite of the conversation they had just had?

“Lexa,” Clarke said glancing at the book and looking at her, “I can’t just sit and think about it. We’re in a little bitty boat in the middle of the damn ocean-”

“Okay. It’s okay,” Lexa added quickly, “read.” She saw the blink of fear in Clarke’s eyes and felt that same blink hit her in the gut. They were in the middle of the ocean. She breathed in deep and laid back down on the floor of the boat. She breathed evenly; combined with the gentle rock of the boat it was calming because she was used to boats from living on one. Then Clarke started reading out loud, “his hands were hot on her body. Alexandria felt herself shiver when his hands slipped up the insides of her bare thighs-”

“Oh god, Clarke,” Lexa rolled her eyes in dismay and flopped onto the floor of the raft, “stop.” She didn’t think she could bear it a second if she had to hear this …novel.

Clarke just laughed and kept reading, “they caught at the fabric of her panties and-”

“Really, Clarke!” Lexa flopped onto her back in dismay and blew out a breath, “I can’t.”

“Oh come on, Lexa? It’s just a story.” Clarke stated. Lexa only grunted. Clarke went on, “like you’ve never read romance?”

“Oh, I have. I have…” Lexa squeezed her eyes shut.

“Well then,” Clarke decided, “you have to be bored too. I can read out loud for both of--”

“But it’s …those type books… they are really not my thing. Can you …can you just read to yourself, Clarke?” Lexa asked, and threw her arm back over her eyes. 

“Alright, Lexa,” Clarke’s voice met her ears and she was sure there was a curious tone to it, “lay there and be a stick in the mud. It’s not like there is anything else to do.” Lexa just snorted in return, and she could almost hear Clarke turn back to her book and was so thankful when the blonde muttered a silent, “fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Chapter 18 is already posted on my tumblr!** To read it or **for more about 'Wild Earth'** and my other fics and works including my upcomping original series of f/f books or just **to follow me on Tumblr** click [HERE](https://adistantstarblog.tumblr.com/wildearth).
> 
> If you liked this fic you might also like my other modern Clexa AUS - '[Flygirl](http://archiveofourown.org/works/13494204/chapters/30945950#main)' (note: Flygirl is explicit/nsfw) or my Rockstar!Lexa AU '[Lullaby of the Giant Five](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12791856/chapters/29192634)'. Or for those of you interested in Canon Fics, you might like one of my other works - ['All Blood is Red](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5434646/chapters/12558758)' (please note this fic updates very slowly) (also, its huge).
> 
> Kudos are appricated if you liked it. Thanks for reading.
> 
> (p.s. Clexaweek is right around the corner and a friend and I might be making surprises for you)


	18. Rock the Boat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crowded together for too long in the same little space, Clarke and Lexa get on each others nerves until a line is finally drawn...

The marina was full of boats bobbing up and down on the gentle waves. Clarke hadn’t been answering her phone and Raven was starting to worry. She walked the boardwalk down to the spot where she had been told Wood’s boat would be. She knew it wasn’t going to be there. She knew Clarke would be gone at least a few more days. This was a local assignment though, Clarke had said. But Raven was hopeful. However, she didn’t expect a blonde woman in a black tank top and black jeans to be sitting there with her feet dangling over the edge in front of the empty mooring between other boats – simply staring out at the water.

Raven slowed as she stopped behind her. The set in the woman’s shoulders was one that looked alert and tense. Clearing her throat she was about to ask if she could help the woman somehow when without even turning her eyes from the sea to look at her the woman growled, “who are you?”

“I’m Raven,” she answered somewhat dryly with a lift of her eye brow. Raven folded her arms, “who are you?”

There was no answer for a minute. It seemed as though the blonde hadn’t even heard her. Then after a second she asked another question, “Why are you here?”

Raven snorted, “you know,” she stared at the blonde, “I am used to people looking at me when they try and talk to me.”

The woman didn’t turn her head though. But instead Raven saw her shoulders lift just a little as though she found what Raven had just said either annoying or even amusing before she repeated, “I asked why you are here?”

Raven rolled her eyes. Moving forward the few steps she sat on the edge of the dock, which seemed to startle the woman into abruptly turning to look at her. When that happened it startled Raven to find the woman had gorgeous sharp cheekbones and beautiful eyes that despite the stoic way this woman carried herself seemed to be holding back a lot of pain or anxiety or both or something. The woman was stunning, and Raven found herself blowing out a breath, staring out to sea and admitting, “I’m looking for a friend. She’s just not answering her phone and yeah, she can be gone for long amounts of time, especially recently,” Raven drew a deep breath and held it in her lungs a few seconds before adding, “It’s been a few days. Always before she’s called back by now.”

The blonde next to her seemed to absorb all of this. The time it took felt like forever as they sat there side by side in the slight breeze, staring out across the water but it was probably only a few minutes. Finally the blonde spoke if quietly and reluctantly, “I’m here looking for someone too.”

-=-

Night had returned. The little boat under her rocked gently up and down on black-looking swells of water illuminated by the lantern in the middle of the raft. The air was cool and quiet and Lexa was thankful for it after another blistering day in the heat. She was pretty sure that Clarke was as well, that was if the other girl could stop her incessant wiggling around. Lexa tried to ignore it. She tried to keep herself busy by going through what was left of their provisions. One by one she had been pulling the meal packs that were left out of the bag and counting them, “thirteen.” She placed that one down in the pile she was making on the raft floor. Clarke kicked a leg out, sending a sandal that had been in her pile of things flying across the raft and nearly hitting her in the face, “hey!” Lexa glanced up at her and frowned. Clarke had frozen and stared back at her where she was trying to draw in a sketchbook. After a second she muttered back, “sorry.” Clarke looked back at her drawing.

“Its okay,” Lexa muttered too, and returned to counting. A look in her bag told her painfully that she’d neared the last of the packages, “fourteen.” She counted taking one out and putting it down. Biting her lip she took the very last packet out of the bag. Fifteen-

“Fuck!” Clarke swore loudly on the other side of the boat and her sketchbook landed in the pile of food packets, scattering them. Lexa jerked back quickly in surprise and then started grabbing at the spilling pile fast as she could, “Clarke! That’s our food!” she scolded, glaring up at Clarke. Lexa wrapped her arms around their food as the girl continued to flip and flop about in the other end of the boat, scratching at her arms and skin, “Clarke!”

“I can’t-” Clarke tried to scratch a place on her back, “it itches!”

Lexa glanced at the pile and started quickly putting it back in the bag, “well this is our only food! And you almost tossed it over-board throwing your sketchbook like that!”

“I have cookies.” Clarke stated, scratching her arms.

“You ate them.” Lexa could hear nails ripping at skin, “stop you’re only making it worse!” she got the last packet of food in the bag and zipped it.

Clarke kept wiggling, “I don’t care! My clothes are crunchy!”

“It’s the salt, Clarke.” Lexa tried to explain, “being at sea in an open raft will make it collect on your-” Clarke was unbuckling the life jacket. Lexa shouted at her, “stop that, you can’t swim!” Clarke’s hands stopped. She glared at Lexa though and kept squirming and scratched her legs. All the squirming was making the raft wobble this way and that on the water, “stop scratching! It only makes it itch worse. And stop rocking the boat, Clarke, and just …hold still!”

The scratching and wiggling stopped just long enough for Clarke to ask, “Hold still? Are you insane?”

Lexa answered before thinking her words through, “if you don’t hold still you are going to dump us out!”

“Oh, right, really!” Clarke was mocking her, “Like I am shaking it that much! It went through a hurricane, Lexa!”

“Tropical storm.” Lexa corrected.

“Okay!” Clarke snorted, “it went through a tropical storm and didn’t dump us out, remember??” the scratching stopped though.

Clarke was right. Even if Lexa hated to admit it and wouldn’t –completely- out loud. There was no way she was rocking the boat enough to topple them at all, just enough to make it jiggle a little, “well hold still anyway,” Lexa ground out, “save your strength.” At some point she realized that Clarke had stopped scratching during their arguing and Lexa wasn’t about to bring that up either in case it made her start up again.

“What for?” Clarke folded her arms defiantly and rolled her eyes, “it’s not like we’re going to be running a marathon or something anytime soon.”

“Because,” Lexa growled back and pointed out to the sea all around them, “we don’t know how long we’re going to be out here under a burning sun and you might need it to stay alive!” Lexa dropped her arm. She stared menacingly at Clarke who still sat there glaring right back at her. Then Clarke shrugged at her. She actually shrugged at her suggesting she didn’t care. Lexa demanded, “You don’t care? You really don’t care, do you?”

“I didn’t say that.” Clarke countered her tone actually level.

But Lexa didn’t hear her. She was furious, “I am just as much trapped out here as you are Clarke and even if you don’t care about that, I actually do!”

“I never said I didn’t care, Lexa.” Clarke protested again, “you’re taking this out of proportion.”

“I’m taking this out of proportion?” Lexa demanded, she motioned to where Clarke was, “we’re stuck at sea and you brought cookies, Clarke! You sit there surrounded by books and shit that is useless to us and you think I’m over-reacting?” God this was just night three, Lexa thought as she squeezed her eyes shut, and they were already grating on each others nerves and ripping each other verbally apart. She turned away quickly so she didn’t have to look at Clarke anymore right now.

But Clarke managed to glare at her hard, “you packed seven different knives-!”

Lexa could feel Clarke’s eyes on her back and didn’t bother looking, “you need knives, Clarke! Tell me you can at least understand something simple as that!”

“Maybe if you dropped half if them overboard,” Clarke snapped back motioning to the ocean around them, “but you also forgot something basic as painkillers!-” Lexa felt her jaw clench and her wrist start to ache inside the brace more as though on cue. Clarke barreled on, “but somehow still managed to remember a busted compass-” Lexa felt the bristling start in her spine at the mention of the compass and her teeth start to grind harder and harder together in her mouth. “-and yet you sit there,” Clarke concluded fiercely, “high-and-mighty hot explorer girl, and yell at me about bringing useless shit when _you_ brought a broken compass!-”

“Stop!” Lexa whirled so fast, fueled by the fact Clarke thought the compass was shit, her anger taking Clarke by surprise and making her jerk back a little in what Lexa would later recognize as shock. Right now though, she didn’t care. She grabbed her bag with her good arm and yanked it toward her over. She yanked the zip on it open and started grabbing things from it furiously and slamming them into the rubber floor of the boat – making it rock and much as Clarke had.

“Lexa what are you…” Clarke’s voice was still hard but she was not yelling.

Lexa didn’t hear though, “here are all the useless knives!” Lexa started grabbing them out and dropping them into the stack she was making, “oh and useless food!” those packets started joining the pile again too.

“Lexa,” Clarke sounded more concerned and a bit anxious, “hey, stop…”

Lexa found a small box and yanked it out too, “look, useless water tablets so we could have had clean water!” She threw them aside. She saw the broken compass in the bag next, “can’t have someone like me carrying around this kind of sentimental useless shit!” she yanked it out too. Lexa picked the bag up and dumped it. Everything rolled and spilled out in the light of the lantern and as it rolled away she caught sight of the black marker and grabbed it up. Glaring at Clarke she opened the cap and suddenly went to the middle of the boat. Lexa started drawing a line across it. When she was done she capped the marker, “this is my side of the boat!” she stated hotly, motioning to it. She motioned to where Clarke was, “and that is your side of the boat! You stay on your side! I’ll stay on mine!” she tossed the marker into her spilled pile of things.

“Wait, what?” Clarke demanded, “My side and your side? Are we even listening to ourselves? We are fighting with each other over stupid shit.” She stared at Lexa. Lexa stared back at her just as hard. Finally Clarke sat back on her side of the black line, “we just …we just need to stop.” She tried again, “we just need to eat dinner …or something.”

Lexa shoved one of the food packets across at Clarke. Her rage liquefied just a little then, as the packet stopped near Clarke’s knees. It liquefied to the point where everything was utterly quiet in a very uncomfortable and almost unreal way between the two of them. Lexa heard everything though, Clarke’s breathing, the sound of the boat lifting up and down on the waves. She looked down at the line she had drawn across the middle of the orange raft and suddenly was unable to breathe from how uncomfortable she was with her actions—

Clarke saw her look at it, “we’re both behaving badly,” she suggested quietly as though she knew what Lexa was thinking. She looked around them for a minute before looking across at Lexa in the light of the lantern again, “we are under a lot of stress out here. I think we should try to forget it, eat dinner, and move on.”

But Lexa still stared at the line, the physical line she had drawn that was mimicking the one in her head that had been crossed and she knew that Clarke would never understand her reaction. Looking away from it she couldn’t quite look at the blonde from the shame she saw not only creeping across Clarke’s face but also the shame she felt burning on her own. Lexa looked at the scattered food packets. She picked one up. One word pushed quietly through her lips, “maybe,” even to her ears it sounded soft and regretful. Two more words followed it, “maybe Clarke.”

“Sorry,” Clarke murmured. She ran a hand through her hair in frustration and picked her packaged dinner up.

“Me too,” Lexa murmured back. She was sincere. But Lexa turned away from her anyway, ashamed, and moved with her meal in silence, as far as she could into her half of the little boat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For more about 'WILD EARTH' and my other fics and works including my upcomping original series of f/f books or just **to follow me on Tumblr** click [HERE](https://adistantstarblog.tumblr.com/wildearth).
> 
> If you liked this fic you might also like my other modern Clexa AUS - '[Flygirl](http://archiveofourown.org/works/13494204/chapters/30945950#main)' (note: Flygirl is explicit/nsfw) or my Rockstar!Lexa AU '[Lullaby of the Giant Five](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12791856/chapters/29192634)'. Or for those of you interested in Canon Fics, you might like one of my other works - ['All Blood is Red](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5434646/chapters/12558758)' (please note this fic updates very slowly) (also, its huge).
> 
> Kudos are appricated if you liked it. Thanks for reading.
> 
> (p.s. Happy Clexaweek from mmeister911 and I. If you'd like you can find all our fics for it [Here](http://archiveofourown.org/series/954030).)


	19. You Have Some Gull...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Still stuck at sea, its been days. But its about time something knocks some sense into them....

The sun was barely up. But it was already warm enough to make Clarke sweat. It was morning again out on the ocean. And sprawled out from heat in the bottom of the rubber raft, Clarke knew, but didn’t want to wake up.

However, the sunlight burning her closed eyelids was making that moment inevitable. And what was more, Lexa was already on the other side of the raft talking quietly, “so yes, you can fish like this. But while we wait for our catch there are a few things we can cover about being stranded at sea-”

Stranded at sea was right. The only noise besides Lexa talking was the sound of the ocean sucking at the side of the boat. She thought of them fighting last night. She could still see it in her head. She could still hear the mean words tumbling from her own mouth. She could still see Lexa drawing that damn black line through the center of the raft almost in slow motion-

“..and one of them is that, after a couple of days of being out here in an open raft..”

Clarke grunted and found herself wondering how Lexa was even up this early. But then she always was. So her thoughts wandered next to how did she even know when she was awake when she hadn’t even opened her eyes yet.

“..salt will start to collect on your clothing, and all your stuff,” Lexa was ..explaining? “And it will make your clothes very crunchy and uncomfortable and you will have to wash them out with sea water if you want to be comfortable at all.”

Clarke flopped an arm over her face hoping Lexa would get the idea that she wasn’t really feeling like much of a morning person today.

She didn’t.

“Yes, it is still salt water,” Lexa clarified from her end of the raft, “and I know as such it seems it would cancel out what you would be attempting to achieve, but it should still remove some of the-”

“Lexa,” Clarke grumbled out at last from under the shelter of her arm, “can we ..can we talk about this later?”

The talking stopped instantly. And for a few seconds there was no sound except for the sound of the raft bobbing on the water, and it left a sudden and uncomfortable feeling hanging thick as the salt in the air and in fact, Clarke could almost feel Lexa’s surprise. It was enough to make Clarke lift her arm and peek out.

Lexa was sitting in her half the raft, looking at her over one of her shoulders against a backdrop of blue sky. Green eyes searched her, and Lexa’s hair lifted softly on a light breeze that seemed to find them at just the right time. It made Clarke’s insides melt a little in a way that had nothing to do with the heat. She wet her dried lips and sat up a little more in the boat, leaning on her hands to get a better look and behind Lexa she saw the little red Infinity camera hovering in the air, with a small green light in the top indicating it was recording.

“Clarke, I…” Lexa tried to break the silence first. But wasn’t successful. Because her mouth snapped closed instead. She grabbed the red camera quickly from the air as though being caught with something she shouldn’t have and shut it off, “sorry Clarke,” Lexa held the camera as best she could in one hand because of her injured wrist down near her knees as though in regret, “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“No, no, its ..its okay.” Clarke spoke up quickly, all irritation forgotten, in fact her heart melted a little as the realization of what Lexa was doing finally became clear; Lexa hadn’t been talking to her. She had been filming. She had been talking to the camera Clarke had brought her and almost seemed nervous to be caught. Clarke wasn’t having any of that.. She motioned to the camera and stayed casual, “you’re recording? There’s nothing wrong with that, you know.” Clarke smiled at her.

“Oh,” Lexa looked down at the camera in her hand and lifted it back up and looked it for a few seconds as though trying to frame her thoughts, “I was. I mean. I thought it might be interesting to document some of our situation out here to maybe use one day. If that’s okay with you. If not then at least we can have something to look back on,” she tried to re group by wetting her parched lips. Clarke didn’t mean to stare when she did that but she did anyway. Taking a deep breath Lexa seemed to find a place to start again, “I didn’t record you sleeping. And I made sure you weren’t in the picture.” she bit her lip, and probably didn’t know she was doing it.

“Lexa, you can use the footage however you want. That’s why I brought you a camera,” Clarke snorted softly under her breath, and smiled when she saw Lexa start nodding quickly across from her. Clarke finally pushed and sat up all the way at last, and I didn’t think you did.”

“Oh. Well. Thank you,” Lexa said to her. Then added sincerely, “and thank you for the new camera, Clarke. I don’t think I said that yet.” She stared at Clarke, softly. And it made Clarke wonder what the girl was thinking. And it made her hope it was about her.

Clarke took a deep breath and leaned back carefully against the side of the raft, feeling its give against her back, “you’re welcome, Lexa.” she smiled. Lexa did too, a very small smile but it was there. Then she looked back down at the camera in her hand and switched it on to record again and let it go. She was acting differently this morning, and Clarke couldn’t quite put a finger on on what the difference was just yet. Sure, they had argued the night before and she was sure they both knew it was all just angry words from being trapped together in such a small space for days now.

But whatever it was causing the difference was staring to be terribly cute on the usually stubborn and stoic adventurer girl. Clarke decided to change the subject in hopes of making the mood just a bit lighter. Because she knew if she was still thinking about last night, Lexa probably was too. In fact the minute it went through Clarke’s mind she saw Lexa look at the black raft she’d drawn across the bottom of the orange raft. So Clarke spoke up quickly with the first thought she had, “can I have some water?”

“Of course,” Lexa nodded and looked around the raft. Her eyes landed on one of the water containers and she picked it up and handed it across to Clarke. Watching Lexa, Clarke took it from her and opened the top up. Drinking just three swallows though she desperately wanted more in spite of it being stale and warm, she capped it again and handed it back across. Lexa took it and put it back into the corner it had come out of. Clarke then caught sight of and nodded at the fishing line hanging over the side of the raft and into the water. The opposite end was tied to one of the bags, “catching breakfast?”

Lexa glanced behind her as though just remembering the fishing line, “trying to,” she admitted, “I thought maybe to use in a video? If not, its going to be meal packs again.”

“Won’t the fish pull the bag into the water?” Clarke automatically envisioned something like a sword fish..

“Clarke,” Lexa teased with a roll of her eyes. She turned to the line and pulled it in from the water to show it was only a couple feet long and had shiny pieces of the foil packaging their meals had been in tied to the hook like a lure. Clarke felt speechless and apparently looked it too, “they are just little fish,” Lexa explained, dropping the lure back into the water, “and you can use just about anything shiny as a lure to catch your first one. Usually they swim around near the surface under the boat for shelter and I think…” Lexa sounded unsure suddenly, “I think I might have already mentioned that.” Then Lexa turned away, as though suddenly sullen.

Suddenly the mood in the boat shifted sullenly, and Clarke raised an eyebrow at Lexa’s back in question, that Lexa wouldn’t even be able to see anyway. But Clarke couldn’t help the little responsive action. Lexa’s shoulders finally heaved a little and she took a deep breath and stared out over the rolling green-blue sea, “I used the footage, Clarke..” they slid up one gentle wave and down the other side of it. Lexa spared her a tiny glance back over her shoulder before looking out over the ocean again, “from the day you fell in the river. I used it in one of my videos.” there was a hint of remorse in her voice.

Clarke felt her heart skip a beat, hearing Lexa admit it. She also remembered how she had felt that day in the store when Raven had told her. All she had wanted was soup, and she remembered feeling angry for a few seconds and maybe hurt and a little bit wronged.

But it hadn’t lasted long. Not when she remembered what she had been doing to Lexa.

Clarke sighed, and sat still in the raft. She wracked her brain, watching the brunette fiddle quietly with her fishing lines, and tried to think of a way to answer that would reflect on everything that had happened to date between herself and Lexa. But in the end, only found herself speaking two calm and accepting words, “I know.”

Lexa looked abruptly at her, “you do?” More questions stirred in her eyes.

“I do,” Clarke nodded a couple times, “I’ve seen it.” Raven had even shown her the video that night. Clarke hadn’t heard it at the time the recording was being made, because she had been struggling for her life under the water, but in the playback the concern in Lexa’s voice broke her heart just a little,

_There are crocodiles in this river! And other things that could… Clarke! Clarke!_

“And you are not angry?” she studied Clarke carefully as though looking for any signs of her not telling the truth.

“Maybe I was at first. Maybe for a minute or two,” Clarke admitted her earlier thoughts, “but not for long and not anymore. Not when I realised I might have deserved a taste of my own medicine,” she wasn’t sure suddenly if she should have brought that up again. But before she could say anything else, Lexa cleared her throat and nodded as though accepting Clarke meant it before saying,

“Anyway, I should have asked.”

“No. No, I should have asked,” Clarke corrected, “I should have called and asked for an interview, or something. Apparently, according to Wells, your number is even listed. But I thought going in energetic and friendly would make the element of surprise I was supposed to present a little easier,” Clarke shook her head for a second, disgusted with herself as she looked at Lexa watching her from her side of the boat, “but I was wrong. I felt more like a bull in a china shop.”

“You were a lousy reporter, Clarke.” Lexa agreed, and Clarke felt herself wince. But before she could answer Lexa went on, “at least, those first few times we met. But you did good with the whales.”

“You did too.” Clarke answered.

But Lexa had moved on to her own confession, “I made the video with you in it because I needed it to make my numbers.”

“I know. Forget it okay?” Clarke gave her a small smile but it faded to frustration pretty fast, “I mean, I just need a way to expose my boss. But if I did that, all my friends could lose their jobs.” she thought of them. She thought of Octavia and Kane, and Harper and Monty and all of the others. Clarke leaned back in the boat again because suddenly her stomach was in knots inside of her and it had nothing to do with being sea-sick..

“You’re boss?” the statement had Lexa’s attention. She seemed careful to ask, “you want to tell what he did?”

“If I can,” Clarke could feel the weight of Lexa’s gaze on her. But it was more of a rapt stare of thought because of the conversation probably, than an angry or confused one. Clarke sighed and pulled up one of her knees and wrapped her arms around it, “you know, I used his plan against him? I used my job to get the helicopter drop out here?”

“Then he didn’t know you were going to turn on him and tell me the truth?” Lexa glanced toward the red camera for a couple of seconds before looking at Clarke again, “about my camera?”

“He didn’t know,” Clarke confirmed. In return, Lexa simply nodded and half-turned around to check on the fishing line again. Lexa lifted the line of of the water again and toyed with the foil on the hook before dipping it back into the sea. Clarke said nothing about it, but she wasn’t sure a piece of foil would catch a fish. Still, she was learning to not question the adventurer whom even knew the year Sea Monkeys were invented. But talking about the helicopter drop made Clarke remember something she’d been wondering about off and on ever since she heard she was going to be dropped onto a boat in the ocean since apparently she ‘already knew how to do it’ according to Jaha. Clarke put the thoughts of him away again for now, “Lexa?”

“Clarke?” Lexa turned from where she was slowly dragging the fishing line back and forth along the side of the boat. Using their names like this seemed like it was becoming their normal way of starting a half-serious or not so serious at all conversation so Clarke carefully ventured on,

“I have to ask. Why were you even out here?” she motioned to the sea all around them that made them just a tiny dot of orange. Clarke lowered her arms, “I mean, Nia was all over the news. You had to have known about it.”

“You mean you think it was foolish of me?” Lexa deduced quietly, staring at her, “I checked the news before coming out here, Clarke. The storm was supposed to go further out to sea.”

“I didn’t say you were foolish,” Clarke was quick to respond, “I just ..there had to be a reason?” She held her breath, and Lexa’s stare. Even though she was starting to realise that Lexa quickly and easily became defensive and she was starting to wonder why.

“There was a contest,” Lexa began, but no sooner had the words left her lips when suddenly the fishing line behind her over the side of the raft gave a little tug and started to wiggle. Clarke’s eyes popped open with surprise and she tried to get to her feet only to become dizzy when the boat started rocking about from her trying to stand-

“Sit down, Clarke!” Lexa scolded, grabbing her hand she pulled Clarke back down into the raft and grabbed the line behind her, “you don’t stand up in the raft or you can fall over the side.”

Clarke was nodding quickly, clearly understanding that now. Grateful the boat stopped rocking she watched as Lexa pulled the line in with a smallish fish hooked to it. Removing the hook from its mouth Lexa set both the fish and the line down. The fish flopped around pitifully on the bottom of the raft and Lexa reached into the spilled pile of her things. Grabbing a knife she quickly put the little fish out of its misery, gutted it just as quickly and peeled off scales and skin. Then she cut it in half, set the knife aside and offered half the fish to Clarke, “this is breakfast. You should eat.”

Clarke felt her stomach turning a little, looking at the filleted raw fish. On top of that, she couldn’t believe Lexa had actually caught one, “sushi?” she tried to sound optimistic even if she’d never liked sushi. Clarke reached for the food and took it, but couldn’t help but glance at the little meal packs scattered about.

“Sushi is made from tuna,” Lexa bit into her half of the raw fish. She chewed and swallowed, “ this isn't tuna.”

Clarke finally bit into her piece of the fish and chewed a little. It tasted strong, but to hre surprise it actually tasted okay. She swallowed, bit another piece, and asked, “only tuna?”

Lexa looked at her, but kept eating. Half of her fish was almost gone before she spoke up, “actually there are several fish sushi is made from, yellowtail, snapper, Japanese amberjack..” as she listed them off Clarke started smirking. Lexa noticed and huffed, “you were teasing me.” she finished what was left of her fish in one bite.

“Just checking your dictionary,” Clarke grinned. She popped the last piece of her fish into her mouth, chewed it up and swallowed. Lexa huffed at her again and attached the fish head and guts to the hook and for some reason the idea that fish would happily devour its own kind made Clarke’s stomach go a little queasy again.

Lexa lowered the line back over the side of the raft and into the water, “listen Clarke, about last night,” she began and Clarke felt tense instantly. Last night certainly hadn’t been their best night. Lexa started tugging at the line a little as though to check it before finally letting it go and turning to look at Clarke, “I really am sorry. I behaved terribly.”

“Yeah, me too. I mean I’m sorry also. I mean I behaved something awful too,” the tension melted away and she gave up trying to explain when she started laughing at herself for not getting out the words she wanted right. She smiled over at Lexa, “you know what I mean, right?”

“I think so,” Lexa shifted in the raft until she was sitting with her knees pulled up in front of her, “I mean, we’re stuck in a raft together for who knows how long. It's understandable. So,” Lexa kicked her cute socked foot at the black line she’d drawn the night before, “can we just ...forget this?” she looked up at Clarke with her teeth locked in a small, hopeful grimace.

“Sure..” Clarke answered. And suddenly she was blown away. Because Lexa suddenly smiled.

It was dazzling, the grin on the girl’s face, more than the morning sunlight. It was the first time Clarke had seen it and she could only sit and stare with her lips parted just a little and her throat dry. But that minute Lexa’s line moved behind her again, and the pretty smile faded as Lexa turned to get it.

“Lexa I-” Clarke tried to speak but something whistled sharp against her ear and a white gray blob flew into her vision and slammed into the side of her head, knocking her sprawling to the floor of the raft.

Stunned, Clarke’s world was spinning. She grabbed at something attacking her head, “Lexa!”

It tangled in her hair. It started squalling. Clarke grabbed at the side of the boat and pulled herself to her knees.

“Clarke! Clarke, its okay!”

The raft started rocking in the water. She yanked at whatever was on her head, trying to tear it loose, but it only squalled louder and held on tighter to her hair, “get it off me! Lexa! Get it--” she panicked.

“It's just a seagull, Clarke!” Lexa crawled to her side in an instant, “it's a big one. But it's just a seagull!”

“I don’t care!” Clarke grabbed at it's feathers. It squawked louder. She swatted at it. It flapped and pecked her hands. She knew she was freaking out more than she should but she wasn’t exactly expecting a bird to hit her in the head in the middle of the ocean when Lexa was the only other living thing she’d seen besides their breakfast in days, “Lexa! Lexa, get it-”

“Trust me, Clarke!” Lexa grabbed her shoulders, “it doesn’t even want to be tangled in your hair. It's _just_ a seagull!” Lexa’s voice was firm but calm, “and you have to stop fighting so it can untangle itself and fly away.”

Clarke grabbed Lexa’s waist for support. Lexa shook her just a little and the motion and the words made her calm down enough so that the bird untangled itself, and, with a final, angry squawk at her, flapped haphazardly away.

“S..stupid bird…” Clarke muttered as she stared after it. It took her all of two seconds after that to realise her hands were still around Lexa’s waist. She let go as though she’d been burned but missed the contact the instant she did.. Her face turned red. She was glad for the first time since being lost at sea she had a sunburn..

“Yes, yes just a bird,” Lexa answered soothingly, as though she didn’t notice Clarke’s hands at all. But then her green eyes snapped wide open in front of Clarke’s, “it's a bird, Clarke!” She jolted to her feet before Clarke could stop her, “a seagull!”

“Lexa!” Clarke grabbed at the corner of her top, “Lexa, sit down!”

“Do you know what this means?” Lexa whipped about in excitement, but it didn’t last long. The boat started to wobble and rock and Lexa flung her arms out for balance and swayed.

Clarke tried to grab her, but it was already too late.

With a pitiful squeak of embarrassment and wide green eyes looking at her, Lexa toppled over the side of the raft and splashed into the water.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For more about 'WILD EARTH' or just to follow me on Tumblr click [HERE](https://adistantstarblog.tumblr.com/wildearth).
> 
> P.S. I am sorry for taking so long to get back to this. Take care everyone.  
> -Distant.


	20. Land Ho!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Yo ho yo ho!"
> 
> "That's pirates, Clarke!"
> 
> In which there is hope in sight for our two girls lost on the sea...

_“It's a bird, Clarke!” She jolted to her feet before Clarke could stop her, “a seagull!”_

_“Lexa!” Clarke grabbed at the corner of her top, “Lexa, sit down!”_

_“Do you know what this means?” Lexa whipped about in excitement, but it didn’t last long. The boat started to wobble and rock and Lexa flung her arms out for balance and swayed._

_Clarke tried to grab her, but it was already too late._

_With a pitiful squeak of embarrassment and wide green eyes looking at her, Lexa toppled over the side of the raft and splashed into the water._

 

-=-

“Lexa!” Clarke screamed, she scrambled to the side of the boat and looked over into bouncing blue-green water. Where was she? Her brain tore backward in time to the times she almost drown and her heart raced in panic..

Lexa popped up from the surf loudly heaving in air, “Clarke!!” she spat out water and struggled with one arm, splashing toward the raft from just a few feet away.

“Oh thank God!” Clarke exhaled with relief that left her shaky and unable to breathe really. She grabbed frantically at the side of the raft and strained her other hand toward Lexa far as she dared, “Lexa! Get my hand!”

Lexa went under again.

Clarke panicked, “Lexa! No!...” she she was going to jump in after her… she got a foot up on the side of the wobbling raft.

“Don’t you dare, Clarke!” Lexa shouted at her, surfacing again. She spit out more water as she pulled her way through the bouncing waves toward the raft.

But the waves kept pushing her under and also bouncing the raft away from where she was swimming. Grinding her teeth, Clarke started to unbuckle her life vest intent on throwing it to Lexa-

“Keep that on!” Lexa shouted. She got over a wave and was closer. But not close enough.

Clarke just glared at her and undid another buckle, “you only have one arm!”

“True!” Lexa went under and came back up sputtering, “but I am still the only one here who can swim!” to make her point, she kicked harder to close the last bit of distance between herself and the bouncing raft, grabbed the rope rail around it and glared up at Clarke, “see. Keep your jacket on!”

Clarke didn’t care if Lexa was angry. She only wanted her to be alright. Grabbing at her wet good wrist she pulled and helped her slip up over the side and into the floor of the raft. Once she was back in, even though it had been Lexa that had fallen over the side it was Clarke that started breathing again, “Lexa… Lexa….” grabbing at Lexa’s arm she tried to turn her to see she was ok.

But Lexa shoved to her knees, turned, grabbed at the buckle on Clarke’s orange life vest and snapped it closed, “I thought we went through this!” she scolded.

“Sorry, I’m…” Clarke started to say, adrenaline finally wearing down a little from Lexa’s tumble into the water. But it was short lived. Just like Lexa’s attention span, it seemed. Because suddenly Lexa was clamoring again across the floor of the raft for her things that were all spilled out..

“There was a bird, Clarke! A bird!” she kept on, and started digging through her stuff. Meal packs, matches, and even the lantern were shoved desperately about;

Clarke though finally got herself together, “Lexa! You shouldn’t have stood up in the boat!” she shouted. She wasn’t sure what the adventurer was going on about the bird that had her - Clarke stared helplessly as Lexa shoved more things aside, and caught the first aid kit when Lexa all but tossed it before it flew over the side - in near panic.

“I’m fine!” Lexa snapped back, not finding what she was looking for in the first pile she grabbed a bag that hadn’t been dumped the night before and unzipped it frantically.

“You could have drowned!”

Lexa dumped the contents of the bag, “not likely,” on her knees she started digging again, a mess kit went rolling. Two small cans of sardines were flung aside. As was a small bag of powdered milk, more matches, batteries and a lighter…

Clarke furrowed her brow. Apparently almost drowning was furthest from her mind, as was apparently the possibility of throwing something over the side of the raft, “Lexa? Lexa what are you?-”

“They’re not here!” Lexa sounded desperate and scrambled toward Clarke’s piled stuff and started digging through it too, “There was a bird! There was a bird, Clarke!”

“Yeah, yeah I know, it hit me in the head!” Clarke stated. Lexa tossed one of her books wide and Clarke yelped and barely caught it before it went over the side, “Lexa!” she set the book down and scrambled to where Lexa was panicking and got her by the shoulders, “what is with you and this damn bird??”

Lexa pulled away from her in confusion and sat back on her heels, “you really don’t know?”

Clarke shook her head. Lexa rolled her eyes and scrambled away toward one of the zippered pockets in the wall of the boat. She yanked the zipper open and Clarke could only stare as Lexa reached in and started fumbling around with one hand inside it, “only some birds can fly across the ocean; Wandering Albatrosses for example and Warblers are just two of many but,” she grunted and pulled a wound section of cord out and then another, “that seagull can only fly so far…”

Clarke was just staring, trying to make sense of her, “Lexa-”

“It means we’re near land!” Lexa dived her hand into the pocket again.

“Land!” the word shot from Clarke’s mouth. Her heart sped up and she too felt like she was about to panic. _They were near land!_ She whipped about left and right gazing at the bouncing waves for it-

“I’m trying to find my binoculars!” Lexa said somewhere behind Clarke, explaining the mystery object at last, “that way, we can see where it is. Everything scrambled and being a mess is not helping us!”

But no matter where Clarke looked or which way she turned as the boat rocked all she saw was endless, endless water.

Or so she thought at first. But while Lexa rattled and shuffled about frantically in the raft behind her Clarke thought she suddenly saw the faintest spike of gray reaching up distantly on the sea-

“..where are they??” she heard Lexa slap her hand to her forehead.

But Clarke was too busy staring at the spike. She wasn't sure. It seems so far away that it might not even be there. Clarke narrowed her eyes on it hand focused in.

The gray spike had a rim of green around it. Or was she just seeing things? Clarke rubbed her eyes. As the waves danced up and down it was there and then gone, there and then gone. Then it was there and Clarke’s heart skipped a beat, “there it is!” not daring to let the little speck on the sea out of her sight Clarke reached behind her to grab Lexa’s arm. But as her fingers touched it Lexa pulled away.

“Not now, Clarke! I have to find where it is before we get too far!”

“You mean, like that land over there?” Clarke pointed toward it. She glanced over in time to see Lexa whip about and look where she was pointing to. Lexa squinted and clamored, still soaking wet and in her pajamas, to the side of the rubber raft where Clarke was.

Clarke knew the second Lexa saw it too because her scowl went away. The panic was replaced with excitement, “that’s it!” her pretty mouth dropped open, “that’s it, Clarke!”

“Land ho!!” Clarke shouted out, she couldn’t stop grinning ear to ear. She couldn’t stop the excitement filling her up and making her want to run and bounce around everywhere. She flung her arms up in the air in excitement and yelped suddenly when Lexa grabbed her and before she knew it Clarke was being squeezed in a tight hug,

“We have an island, Clarke!!” the joy in her voice was tangible.

“We do!” Clarke spluttered, but her reaction was delayed from the shock of Lexa hugging her and the fact that the girl’s arms around her felt so good. She was a little slower as a result but she laughed loud, her eyes crinkling, and started hugging Lexa right back.

But suddenly, as if she realised what she was doing, Lexa yanked herself quickly from Clarke’s grip and sat back on her knees. Clarke blinked, arms empty suddenly. She was confused for a second until she lowered them to her sides when she saw Lexa looking warily at her. The air was suddenly uncomfortable as the little raft bobbed up and down.

Lexa exhaled a small breath that was the only noise between them. She tucked a loose strand of wet brown hair that had fallen into her eyes behind her ear, “okay,” she cleared her throat and shuffled quickly to the inside wall of the raft again and reached into the same pocket built into the raft wall that she had opened earlier, “you are going to have to help me with this. We’re going to have to row this raft over to the island.” As she tugged she glanced over her shoulder toward it.

“Okay…” Clarke’s stomach flipped with nerves, confusion and excitement and she was still a little surprised and tingly from their hug. It burned more than the sun did to think of.

Lexa took out what looked like a collapsible oar. She set it aside and took out a second one and looked at Clarke, “I can’t row with both hands and we have to get to the island.”

“Right,” Clarke shoved tangled blonde hair that still had feathers in it behind its ears. They had to row the boat over there. With that fact sinking in her thoughts scattered all over the place but how in the hell was she supposed to _row a boat_? Trying to get ahold of herself she crawled to where Lexa was and sat down, “what do we do?”

Lexa looked at her, “you’re shaking.”

Clarke nodded. She was excited to get off the raft, “you’re shaking too.” She wasn’t admitting to being a little nervous, or that she was still thinking of the hug.

“Well, we found an island.” Lexa teased with a small smile. She looked over to it again across the water and picked up a folded or and handed it across, “you have to open them first. It takes two hands.” she winced and her right arm twitched a little. She added, “I can still try and use one though.”

Clarke unfolded the plastic oar, “are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” Lexa took it, “I do have a good hand still.” Her eyes sparkled with anticipation as she whipped her head around to look at the island.

“Right,” Clarke unfolded the second oar as well and twisted to see the island too. It bobbed in and out of view in the distance like a cutout against the sky. Her heart sped up with excitement. So much she wrung the oar with her hand. She wanted to get there, “so, how do we do this?”

“It’s easy. You put the oar into the oar locks on the raft like this,” she picked up her oar and slid it into the black circular nodes sticking up from the rubber, “and row,” she put the paddle into the ocean and pulled back on the handle but the movement was awkward with just one hand and a grimace worked its way over her face.

Clarke saw it, “did that hurt?”

“No,” Lexa shook her head and pulled back on the oar again and slowly the raft started to turn toward the island, “but its really not something that is best done with one hand so it's a little difficult.”

“Okay,” Clarke was holding her breath though and looked up at the island. Now that Lexa had turned the raft it was right in front of them. If they kept turning, they’d miss it. It was also as if Lexa knew her thoughts because she spoke up, “we’ve got to go straight now, and that’s going to take both of us together.”

Clarke put her oar in the lock and the paddle in the water, “I’ve never rowed a boat in my life,” she laughed in amusement, a grin spread over her face, the excitement returning to the salty air now that they were closing on an island and she looked over at Lexa and actually saw a smile in her green eyes,

“That’s okay, I’ve never been shipwrecked.”

Clarke blinked in surprise, “Never??” she stared at Lexa, “really? But how? You are like a pro out here.” She motioned to the rolling ocean with her free hand.

“Really,” Lexa said with a roll of her eyes, “this is a first. So, on the count of three. One!” Lexa readied her oar. So did Clarke.

“Two!”

Ahead of them the little island sat like a tiny gem on the sea. Clarke grinned ear to ear, “we.. we have an island, Lexa,” she tried to breathe. But the nerves were trying to get the better of her and she just wanted out of the raft.

Lexa was staring at it and nodding in agreement, “thr--” she started saying, and Clarke started rowing with all her might, oar in the water, breathing through her teeth almost desperate to get to that island. She wasn’t expecting Lexa’s hand to shoot across the small space between them and stop her,

“Wait!”

Clarke jumped a mile, making the raft rock, her oar even fell over the side, “what!?” she panicked seeing her oar and scrambled quickly after it, reaching over the side a little more than she was comfortable with because they already had one big splash that day and she didn’t want to go through it again. Grabbing the oar she quickly yanked it back in, sitting and trying to slow the pounding of her heard she turned about and expected Lexa to be ready to yell at her about how she could have fallen out. But the adventurer was on her knees scrambling through a bag again. Clarke didn’t understand at first, “Lex.. Lexa?” she looked toward the island that looked a little closer now. Or maybe she was just seeing things. And what on earth was Lexa looking for now.

Right as Clarke wondered it, Lexa’s hand popped up with the infinity camera in it. Clarke’s mouth dropped in surprise. She wasn’t sure how it had gotten there between filming fish this morning and Lexa toppling overboard. Maybe when she’d been scavenging through everything. Clarke shook her head to get control of her thoughts. She guessed it really didn’t matter. She looked up at the island almost desperate and squeezed the oar in her hand..

“I want to document it.” Lexa scrambled into the center of the raft with the little camera in her hand.

“You want to…” Clarke couldn’t finish what she was about to say because she was stunned, happy, and confused all the the same time, “Lexa??” Gone was the girl, it seemed, whom could barely even look at that camera.

“Wait, Clarke, wait..” Lexa let the little camera go in the air in front of her, pointing it to face the island so it would could be seen over her shoulder, “so, I’m Lexa Woods,” She shifted to crouch down in front of it, “currently lost at sea,” she flashed a smile quickly and then scratched her head thoughtfully, “I think its day three, or maybe four since the boat went down. Its hard to tell out here. Anyway as you can see, Clarke and I,” she grabbed the remote and spun the little camera around to face Clarke and Clarke jerked in surprise, “are perfectly fine.” Clarke dropped the oar again but managed to grab it back before it hit the water. She was sure she looked like a deer in the headlights because this was different, this was _Lexa’s_ personal show, until Lexa called out, “wave, Clarke.”

Clarke waved, her hand a little jittery, “hey, hi.” she shouldn’t be so nervous. She was in front of cameras all the time. But she still was nervous, “Clarke Griffin here. And yeah, we’re alive.” she was saved suddenly when the camera turned away from her again and back to Lexa.

“Anyway,” Lexa went on, “Clarke and I have finally found an island out here,” she moved aside slightly so the camera could record a clear view of the tiny island of green and gray rock reaching up behind them out of the water. Now that they were a little closer to it Clarke could see it was ringed in a crust of white beaches, “it's just a little island. Tropical by looks from here. Which means we are somewhere near the equator. But again, we may be too far away to tell if this is for sure. And so Clarke and I are about to row this little raft,” she motioned down to it under her and glanced toward the island, “over there to see,” Lexa looked at the camera again and grinned, “so, land ho!” she turned the camera to Clarke again, “right, Clarke?” it was what Clarke had cheered earlier.

“Ah…” Clarke wanted just to stare at Lexa. She looked so beautiful, and excited. In all the days since being stranded started for them she had never seen her more happy and alive…

“Are you okay, Clarke?” Lexa sound concerned.

It snapped Clarke out of it, “ah yeah. Yo ho yo ho!” she saluted the camera and smirked, finally over the surprise of Lexa deciding to film her.

Lexa however panicked, “that’s pirates, Clarke!”

Clarke just lifted a smug eyebrow at her, “on your show, right?”

Lexa just sighed and shook her head a few times before turning the camera back her way, “anyway, here we go.” With the remote she moved the camera back just a little more toward the end of the raft and turned it to record them, “will it,” she looked at Clarke, “will the camera keep up with us?” it was almost like she couldn’t bear to lose it now.

“It will,” Clarke assured, “Its supposed to stay within how ever many feet its user sets it to stay from its remote.”

“But I haven’t set it.” Lexa looked worried as she looked at her camera.

“I think its default is five or so?” Clarke glanced at the camera, and then at Lexa and couldn’t help but think that if Lexa actually used this content one day, it was going to be one hell of a show and Clarke found herself smiling about it. She found herself smiling despite where they were and what they were going to have to do and even if they could survive once on that island - because Lexa was being Lexa again.

Lexa took a deep breath, turned around and sat down, “oars in the water.”

Clarke adjusted her position and sat down better, “aye aye, Commander!” she dipped the paddle end of her oar back into the sea like Lexa had.

“That would be captain,” Lexa glared over at her.

Clarke shrugged, “commander sounds better.”

Lexa grunted and rolled her eyes, “one!” she started counting down backward again, “two!” she tightened her grip on her oar. Clarke saw it and did too…

This is going to hurt, Clarke thought, staring at the little island. She was going to be sore for a week. But excitement burned more than it had even a minute ago. Especially that they were recording this adventure together.

“Three!” Lexa started working her oar like mad beside her, “row, Clarke!” she called over to her, “row!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For more about 'WILD EARTH' or just to follow me on Tumblr click [HERE](https://adistantstarblog.tumblr.com/wildearth).


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